I   ITT  I  P 

La*    if  i  Lb*   V,,^ 


COVNTRY    6 


BY 
SVSHN 


%uast&     1      1  %J?     \*J?      ^ 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

Education 

GIFT  OF 


Louise  Farrow  Barr 


The  Staircase  Window. 


Candace  settled  herself  for  a  long,  comfortable  reading  before  breakfast. 
Page  65. 


5a.ro^h       CTn^ancey       \Jooj/sey 


LITTLE  COUNTRY  GIRL. 


BY 


SUSAN   COOLIDGE,  e*euV, 

AUTHOR   OF   "THE    NEW  YEAR'S    BARGAIN,"    "WHAT    KATY   DID," 
"A    GUERNSEY    LILY,"    ETC. 


o*:o 


BOSTON: 

ROBERTS     BROTHERS. 

iS9S. 


Copyright,  1885, 
By  Roberts  Brothers. 


Education 
GIFT 


John  Wilson  and  Son,  Cambridge. 


lit 

CONTENTS.  L-.y^ry 


Chapter  Page 

I.  On  the  "Eolus" 7 

IT.  The  First  Evening 33 

III.  A  Walk  on  the  Cliffs 61 

IV.  The  Manual  of  Perfect  Gentility.    .    .  90 
V.  Down  to  Beaver  Tail 118 

VI.  A  Talk  about  Shyness 149 

VII.  Two  Picnics 175 

VIII.  Bric-a-Brac 204 

IX.  Perplexed 229 

X.  A  Word  Fitly  Spoken  .     . 248 

XI.  Five  and  One  make  Six 265 


281 


A  LITTLE  COUNTRY  GIRL. 


A  LITTLE  COUNTEY  GIRL. 


CHAPTER  I. 


jT  was  on  one  of  the  cool,  brilliant 
days  which  early  June  brings  to 
the  Narragansett  country,  that  the 
steamer  "  Eolus  "  pushed  out  from 
Wickford  Pier  on  her  afternoon  trip  to  New- 
port. The  sky  was  of  a  beautiful  translucent 
blue  ;  the  sunshine  had  a  silvery  rather  than 
a  golden  radiance.  A  sea- wind  blew  up  the 
Western  Passage,  so  cool  as  to  make  the 
passengers  on  the  upper  deck  glad  to  draw 
their  wraps  about  them.  The  low  line  of 
the  mainland  beyond  Canonicut  and  down  to 
Beaver  Tail  glittered  with  a  sort  of  clear- 
cut  radiance,  and  seemed  lifted  a  little  above 


8  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

the  water.  Candace  Arden  heard  the  Cap- 
tain say  that  he  judged,  from  the  look  of 
things,  that  there  was  going  to  be  a  change 
of  weather  before  long. 

Captain  Peleg  King  was  a  great  favorite  on 
his  line  of  travel.  He  had  a  pleasant,  shrewd 
face,  grizzled  hair,  a  spare,  active  figure  ;  and 
he  seemed  to  notice  every  one  of  his  pas- 
sengers and  to  take  an  interest  in  them. 

"  Going  down  to  Newport,  Miss  ?  "  he  said 
to  Candace,  after  giving  her  one  or  two 
quick   looks. 

The  question  was  superfluous,  for  the 
"Eolus"  went  nowhere  else  except  to  New- 
port; but  it  was  well-meant,  for  the  Captain 
thought  that  Candace  seemed  lonely  and  ill 
at  ease,  and  he  wished  to  cheer  her. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  she  answered,  shyly. 

"  Your  folks  there  for  the  summer  ? "  he 
went  on. 

"No,  sir;  I'm  going  to  stay  with  my  cousin 
Mrs.  Gray." 

"  Mrs.  Courtenay  Gray  you  mean,  I  guess. 
Well,  it's  queer,  but  I  sort  er  thought  that 


ON   THE    "EOLUS."  9 

you  favored  her  a  little.  She  's  down  early 
this  year.  I  fetched  her  and  the  family  across 
on  my  evening  trip  more  'n  two  weeks  ago. 
Mrs.  Gray  's  a  mighty  nice  lady  ;  I  'm  always 
pleased  when  she  comes  aboard.  Would  n't 
you  like  to  take  a  seat  in  the  wheel-house, 
Miss  ?     The  wind  's  blowing  pretty  fresh." 

Candace  was  not  aware  that  this  was  a 
distinguishing  attention  which  the  Captain 
did  not  pay  everybody,  and  which  she  owed 
partly  to  her  connection  with  Mrs.  Gray  and 
partly  to  her  solitary  look,  which  had  touched 
Captain  Peleg's  benevolent  heart.  He  had  a 
girl  of  his  own  "  over  to  Wickford,"  who  was 
about  the  same  age ;  and  it  made  him  "  kind 
of  tender  "  toward  other  girls  who  didn't  seem 
to  have  any  one  to  look  after  them.  But  the 
wind  was  fresh,  and  it  was  pleasant  to  be 
spoken  to  and  noticed  by  some  one  on  this, 
the  first  long  journey  of  her  short  life ;  so  she 
thankfully  accepted  the  Captain's  invitation, 
and  let  him  escort  her  along  the  deck,  and 
assist  her  to  mount  the  two  steps  which  led 
into  the  wheel-house. 


10  A    LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

It  was  rather  a  pleasant-looking  place  in 
which  she  found  herself.  Three  sides  of 
the  little  enclosure  were  lined  with  win- 
dows, through  which  the  green  shores,  which 
seemed  to  be  rapidly  drifting  past  them, 
could  be  seen.  The  fourth  side  was  filled 
with  a  long  cushioned  bench.  In  the  mid- 
dle of  the  glassed  front  was  the  big  brass 
wheel,  shining  with  polish  and  friction,  and 
revolving  artistically  in  the  hands  of  its 
steersman,  who  kept  his  eye  fixed  alternately 
on  the  water  and  on  his  compass.  There 
seemed  to  be  no  regulation  against  speaking 
to  this  "  man  at  the  wheel,"  or  if  there  were, 
it  was  not  strictly  regarded  ;  for  two  young 
ladies,  who  were  already  ensconced  in  one 
corner  of  the  long  seat,  were  plying  him  with 
all  manner  of  questions. 

They  were  rather  pretty  girls  of  that  hard 
modern  type  which  carries  the  air  of  know- 
ing everything  worth  the  knowing,  having  a 
right  to  everything  worth  the  having,  and 
being  fully  determined  to  claim  that  right  to 
its  fullest  extent.     As  Candace  entered,  they 


ON    THE    "EOLUS."  11 

favored  her  with  one  rapid,  scrutinizing  glance 
that  took  in  every  detail  of  her  apparel,  from 
the  goat-skin  boots  which  were  too  large  for 
her  feet  to  the  round  hat  whose  every  bow 
bore  witness  to  a  country  milliner,  and  after 
that  they  noticed  her  no  more. 

She,  for  her  part,  only  too  glad  to  be  left 
unnoticed,  looked  shyly  out  of  the  corners  of 
her  eyes  at  them.  They  seemed  to  her  in- 
expressibly stylish  ;  for  their  tailor-made  suits, 
though  almost  as  plain  as  her  own  dress  and 
jacket  of  blue  alpaca,  had  that  perfect  fit  and 
finish  which  makes  the  simplest  dress  seem  all 
that  can  be  desired.  There  was  a  knowing 
look  to  each  little  detail,  from  the  slender  sil- 
ver bangles  which  appeared  beneath  the  loose 
wrinkled  wrists  of  their  very  long  gloves  to 
the  tortoise-shell  pins  with  which  their  hats 
were  fastened  to  the  tightly  braided  hair  coiled 
low  down  on  the  nape  of  the  neck.  Candace's 
hair  fell  in  curls  to  her  waist.  She  had  always 
worn  it  so,  and  no  one  had  ever  thought  any- 
thing about  it ;  but  now,  all  in  a  moment,  she 
felt  that  it  was  wrong  and  improper. 


12  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

■"  Been  up  to  New  York,  Miss  Joy  ?  "  said 
the  Captain. 

"  No ;  only  as  far  as  the  Junction,  to  meet 
a  friend,"  replied  the  prettier  of  the  two 
girls.  "Why  weren't  you  on  the  boat  this 
morning,  Captain?" 

"I  was  on  the  boat.  I  never  miss  a  trip, 
except  sometimes  the  night  one  in  the  sum- 
mer-time, when  the  sleeping-train  is  a  running. 
I  don't  always  come  over  in  that.  Let  me 
see,  how  did  I  come  to  miss  you  to-day  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  sat  in  the  ladies'  cabin  all  the  way, 
not  on  deck.  But  I  did  n't  see  you  when  we 
landed." 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  how  it  happened,  I  'm 
sure.     Are  your  folks  down  for  the  season  ?  " 

"  Yes :  that  is,  mamma  and  I  and  my 
brother  are  here ;  my  married  sister  won't 
come  till  next  month."  Then  she  turned  to 
her  friend,  but  without  lowering  her  voice. 

"  You  can't  think  how  dull  it 's  been,  Ethel : 
no  men,  no  dinners ;  nothing  going  on  as  yet. 
The  Casino  is  only  just  opened,  and  people 
have  n't  begun  to  go  there.     We  tried  to  get 


13 

up  a  tennis  match,  but  there  were  n't  enough 
good  players  to  make  it  worth  while.  There  's 
absolutely  nothing.  Mrs.  Courtenay  Gray  had 
a  girls'  lunch  on  Tuesday ;  but  that  is  all,  and 
that  did  n't  count  for  much." 

"  That 's  Georgie  Gray's  mother,  is  n't  it  ? 
Is  she  there  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  —  she  and  Gertrude,  all  the  Grays. 
They  're  as  nice  and  delightful  as  can  be,  of 
course,  but  somehow  they  're  so  literary  and 
quiet,  and  Mrs.  Gray  is  awfully  particular 
about  the  girls.  She  makes  them  keep  on 
with  studying  all  summer,  and  she 's  so  exclu- 
sive, —  she  won't  let  them  visit  half  the  new 
people." 

"  Gracious  !  why  not  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know,  —  she  says  they  're 
not  good  form,  and  all  that ;  but  I  'm  sure  she 
knows  queer  people  enough  herself.  There 
is  that  tiresome  old  Miss  Gisborne  down  in 
Washington  Street,  —  the  girls  are  forever 
going  there;  and  I  've  seen  them  myself  ever 
so  many  times  coming  out  of  the  Hares',  — < 
and  they  take  boarders !" 


14  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

"  Fancy  !  How  extraordinary  !  Oh,  there 
are  the  frigates ! " 

For  the  "Eolus,"  leaving  the  wooded,  wall- 
like bank  of  Gould's  Island  behind,  and  round- 
ing a  point,  had  now  reached  the  small  curv- 
ing bay  to  the  eastward  of  Coasters'  Harbor, 
where  lay  the  training-ships,  the  "  New  Hamp- 
shire "  and  the  "  Minnesota."  It  was  a  beau- 
tiful sight,  —  the  two  great  war-vessels  at 
anchor,  with  their  tall  tapering  spars  and  {Ly- 
ing flags  reflected  in  the  water  on  which  they 
floated.  Lines  of  glinting  white  flashed  along 
the  decks ;  for  it  was  "  wash-day,"  and  the 
men's  clothes  were  drying  in  the  sun.  Two 
or  three  barges  were  disembarking  visitors 
at  the  gangway  ladders,  and  beyond  them  a 
sail-boat  was  waiting  its  turn  to  do  the  same. 
On  the  pier  a  file  of  blue-uniformed  boys 
were  marching  with  measured  tread.  The 
sound  of  their  feet  came  across  the  distance 
like  the  regular  beat  of  a  machine.  A  girl  in 
a  row-boat  was  just  pushing  out  from  the  far- 
ther beach,  above  which  rose  a  stone  house 
covered  with  vines. 


15 

"  That 's  Miss  Isherwood,"  said  one  of  the 
young  ladies.  "  She  's  a  splendid  rower,  and 
Tom  says  she  swims  as  well  as  he  does." 

The  whole  scene  was  like  enchantment  to 
Candace,  who  had  lived  all  her  life  among  the 
hills  of  Connecticut,  and  had  never  till  that 
day  seen  the  ocean.  She  was  much  too  shy  to 
ask  questions,  but  she  sat  like  one  in  a  dream, 
taking  in  with  wide-open  eyes  all  the  details 
of  the  charming  view,  —  the  shores,  broken  by 
red-roofed  villas  and  cottages  rising  from  clouds 
of  leafy  greenery ;  the  Torpedo  Island  with 
its  tall  flag-staff  and  floating  banner  over  the 
dwelling  of  the  Commandant ;  Fort  Adams, 
whose  steep  glacis  seemed  powdered  with 
snow  just  then  from  the  multitude  of  daisies 
in  bloom  upon  them  j  the  light-houses ;  the 
soft  rises  of  hill ;  and  beyond,  the  shimmering 
heave  of  the  open  sea.  Cat-boats  and  yachts 
flitted  past  in  the  fair  wind  like  large  white- 
winged  moths ;  row-boats  filled  with  pleasure- 
parties  dipped  their  oars  in  the  wake  of  the 
"  Eolus ;  "  steam-launches  with  screeching 
whistles  were  putting  into  their  docks,  among 


16  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

old  boat-houses  and  warehouses,  painted  dull- 
red,  or  turned  of  a  blackish  gray  by  years  of 
exposure  to  weather.  Behind  rose  Newport, 
with  the  graceful  spire  of  Trinity  Church  and 
the  long  bulk  of  the  Ocean  House  surmounting 
the  quaint  buildings  on  the  lower  hill.  The 
boat  was  heading  toward  a  wharf,  black  with 
carriages,  which  were  evidently  drawn  up  to 
wait  the  arrival  of  the  "  Eolus." 

"  There  's  Mrs.  Gray's  team  now,  Miss," 
said  the  sharp-eyed  Captain ;  "  come  down  for 
you,  I  reckon." 

The  two  girls  glanced  at  her  and  then  at 
each  other.  They  shrugged  their  shoulders, 
and  Candace  heard  one  of  them  whisper,  — 

"  Did  you  ever  ?  "  and  the  reply,  "  No ; 
but  after  all,  we  did  n't  say  anything  very 
bad,  and  who  would  have  dreamed  that  a  hat 
like  that  had  anything  to  do  with  the  Grays  ?  " 

She  felt  herself  blush  painfully.  The  hat 
was  a  new  one  of  brown  straw  trimmed  with 
dark  blue  ribbon.  She  had  felt  rather  proud 
of  it  when  it  came  home  from  the  milliner's 
the  day  before,  and  had  considered  the  little 


ON   THE    "EOLUS."  17 

blue  pompon  with  which  Miss  Wilson,  who 
was  authority  in  matters  of  fashion  in  North 
Tolland,  had  enriched  the  middle  bow,  as  a 
masterpiece  of  decoration.  Alas  !  the  apple 
of  knowledge  was  at  her  lips ;  already  she  felt 
herself  blush  at  the  comments  of  these  un- 
known girls  whose  hats  were  so  different  from 
her  own,  and  was  thoroughly  uncomfortable, 
though  she  could  hardly  have  told  why. 

Captain  Peleg  politely  carried  her  bag  for 
her  across  the  landing-plank  to  where  the 
"  team,"  a  glossy  coupe  writh  one  horse,  was 
waiting.  He  beckoned  to  the  smart  coach- 
man, who  wore  a  dark  green  overcoat  with 
big  metal  buttons,  to  draw  nearer. 

"Here  's  your  passenger,"  he  said,  helping 
Candace  into  the  carriage.  "  Good-day,  Miss. 
I  hope  we  11  see  you  again  on  the  'Eolus.' 
All  right,  driver." 

"  Oh,  thank  you,"  cried  Candace,  finding 
voice  and  forgetting  shyness  in  her  gratitude  ; 
"you  've  been  real  kind  to  me,  Captain." 

"  That  child  's  got  mighty  pretty  eyes," 
soliloquized  Captain  King,  as  he  marched  down 

2 


18  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIKL. 

the  wharf.  "I  wonder  what  relation  she  is 
to  the  Grays.  She  don't  seem  their  sort  ex- 
actly. She  's  been  raised  in  the  country,  I 
expect ;  but  Mrs.  Gray  '11  polish  her  up  if  any- 
body can,  or  I  'm  mistaken.  Steady  there  — 
what  're  you  about  ?  "  as  a  trunk  came  bound- 
ing and  ricochetting  across  the  gangway ; 
"  this  wharf  ain't  no  skittle-ground  !  " 

Meanwhile  the  coupe  was  slowly  climbing 
a  steep  side-street  which  led  to  the  Avenue. 
Looking  forth  with  observant  eyes,  Candace 
noted  how  the  houses,  which  at  first  were  of 
the  last-century  build,  with  hipped  roofs  and 
dormer  windows  like  those  to  which  she  was 
accustomed  in  the  old  hill  village  that  had 
been  her  birthplace,  gave  way  to  modernized 
old  houses  with  recent  additions,  and  then  to 
houses  which  were  unmistakably  new,  and 
exhibited  all  manner  of  queer  peaks  and  pin- 
nacles and  projections,  shingled,  painted  in 
divers  colors,  and  broken  by  windows  of  oddly 
tinted  glass.  Next  the  carriage  passed  a 
modern  church  built  of  pinkish-brown  stone ; 
and  immediately  after,  the  equable  roll  of  the 


19 

wheels  showed  that  they  were  on  a  smooth 
macadamized  road.  It  was,  in  fact,  though 
Candace  did  not  know  it,  the  famous  Bellevue 
Avenue,  which  in  summer  is  the  favorite  drive 
for  all  fashionable  persons,  and  thronged  from 
end  to  end  on  every  fair  afternoon  by  all 
manner  of  vehicles,  from  dainty  pony-wagons 
to  enormous  mail-coaches. 

There  were  only  a  few  carriages  in  sight 
now,  though  they  seemed  many  to  our  little 
country  maid.  Shops  were  opening  for  the 
season.  Men  were  busy  in  hanging  Eastern 
rugs  and  curtains  up  to  view,  and  arranging 
in  the  windows  beautiful  jars  and  plates  of 
porcelain  and  pottery,  glittering  wares  from 
Turkey  and  Damascus,  carved  furniture,  and 
inlaid  cabinets.  Half  a  dozen  florists  exhib- 
ited masses  of  hot-house  flowers  amid  a  tan- 
gle of  palms  and  tree-ferns ;  beyond  was  the 
announcement  of  an  "  opening  "  by  a  well- 
known  dressmaker,  whose  windows  were  hung 
with  more  beautiful  things  than  Candace  in 
her  small  experience  had  ever  dreamed  of 
before,  —  laces,  silks,  embroideries. 


20  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

The  shops  gave  way  to  houses,  each  set  in 
a  court-yard  gay  with  newly  planted  beds 
of  flowers  or  foliage  plants.  Vines  clustered 
everywhere ;  the  trees,  not  yet  fully  in  leaf, 
were  like  a  tossing  spray  of  delicate  fresh 
green  :  a  sense  of  hope,  of  expectation,  of 
something  delightful  which  was  being  pre- 
pared for,  seemed  to  be  in  the  air. 

Suddenly  the  coupe  turned  in  between  a 
pair  of  substantial  stone  gate-posts,  and  drew 
up  before  a  large  square  house,  with  piazzas 
on  two  sides,  and  a  small  but  very  smooth 
lawn,  whose  closely  cut  grass  looked  like 
green  velvet.  It  was  dappled  with  weeping- 
trees  and  evergreens,  and  hedged  with  a  high 
wall  of  shrubs  which  shut  off  the  view  of  the 
street.  A  continuous  flower-bed  ran  all  round 
the  house  close  to  its  walls,  planted  full  of 
geraniums,  heliotrope,  nasturtiums,  mignon- 
ette, and  pansies.  Every  window  and  balcony 
boasted  its  box  of  ferns  or  flowers;  and  in 
spite  of  the  squareness  of  the  building,  and 
the  sombre  green-gray  with  which  it  was 
painted,  the  general   effect  was  of  cheerful- 


ON   THE    "EOLUS."  21 

ness,  and  shade  broken  by  color,  —  an  effect 
which  is  always  pleasant. 

Candace  had  forgotten  herself  in  the  ex- 
citement of  new  sights  and  experiences ;  but 
her  shyness  came  back  with  a  rush  as  the 
carriage  stopped  and  the  door  was  opened  by 
a  very  smart  French  butler. 

"Is  Mrs.  Gray  at  home  ?  "  she  asked  timidly, 
bending  forward. 

"  Descendez,  Mademoiselle,  s'il  vous  plait. 
Madame  est  occupee  pour  le  moment ;  il  y  a 
du  monde  dans  le  salon."  Then,  seeing  the 
perplexed  look  in  Candace's  eyes,  he  explained 
in  broken  English  :  "  Mees  is  to  get  out. 
Madame  is  beesy  with  coompany  for  little 
while.     Mees  will  please  go  up-stair." 

Candace  got  out ;  the  carriage  drove  away, 
and  she  followed  the  butler  into  the  hall. 
He  gave  a  low  call  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs, 
which  brought  down  a  ladies'-maid  with  a 
ruffed  cap  perched  on  the  back  of  her  head. 

"  This  way,  if  you  please,  Miss,"  she  said, 
and  led  Candace  up  the  staircase,  which  was 
a  wide  one  with  three  square  turns  and  a 


22  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

broad  landing,  lit  with  a  range  of  windows 
and  furnished  with  a  low  cushioned  seat ;  then 
came  an  upper  hall,  and  she  was  shown  into  a 
pretty  corner  room. 

"  If  you  '11  please  sit  down  and  rest  your- 
self, Miss/'  said  the  maid,  "  Mrs.  Gray  11  be 
up  as  soon  as  some  company  she  has  is  gone. 
Would  you  like  to  have  a  cup  of  tea,  Miss  ?  " 

"  No,  thank  you,"  faltered  Candace ;  and 
then  the  maid  went  away,  shutting  the  door 
behind  her. 

The  room,  which  had  no  bed  in  it,  and  was, 
in  fact,  Mrs.  Gray's  morning-room,  was  so  full 
of  curious  things  that  Candace's  first  thought 
was  that  it  would  take  a  week  at  least  to 
see  half  that  was  in  it.  The  sage-green  walls 
were  thickly  hung  with  photographs,  water- 
colors,  charcoal  sketches,  miniatures,  bits  of 
faience,  lacquered  trays  and  discs,  and  great 
shining  circles  of  Syrian  and  Benares  metal- 
work.  There  were  many  pieces  of  pottery  of 
various  sorts,  set  here  and  there,  on  the  chim- 
ney-piece, on  book-shelves,  on  the  top  of  a 
strangely  carved  black  cabinet,  with  hinges 


ON  THE  "eolus."  23 

and  handles  of  wrought  iron.  In  one  corner 
stood  an  Italian  spinning-wheel  of  ebony  and 
silver ;  in  another  an  odd  instrument,  whose 
use  Candace  could  not  guess,  but  which  was 
in  reality  a  Tyrolean  zither.  An  escritoire, 
drawn  near  a  window,  was  heaped  with  papers 
and  with  writing  appliances  of  all  sorts,  and 
all  elegant.  There  were  many  little  tables 
covered  with  books  and  baskets  of  crewels 
and  silks,  and  easy-chairs  of  every  description. 
Every  chair-back  and  little  stand  had  some 
quaint  piece  of  lace- work  or  linen-work  thrown 
over  it.  It  was,  in  fact,  one  of  those  rooms 
belonging  distinctly  to  our  modern  life,  for  the 
adornment  of  which  every  part  of  the  world 
is  ransacked,  and  their  products  set  forth  in 
queer  juxtapositions,  to  satisfy  or  to  exhibit 
the  varied  tastes  and  pursuits  of  its  occu- 
pants. To  Candace  it  was  as  wonderful  as 
any  museum ;  and  while  her  eyes  slowly  trav- 
elled from  one  object  to  another,  she  forgot 
her  strangeness  and  was  happy. 

Tick,  tick,  tick,  tick,  went  the  little  French 
clock  on  the  mantelpiece.     Suddenly  it  struck 


24  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

her  that  it  was  a  long  while  that  she  had  been 
left  alone  in  this  room.  She  glanced  at  the 
clock  ;  it  really  was  almost  an  hour.  All  her 
latent  homesickness  returned  with  fresh  force. 
Her  eyes  filled  with  sudden  tears ;  in  another 
moment  she  would  have  been  actually  cry- 
ing, but  just  then  came  a  quick  step,  a  little 
rustle,  and  she  had  just  time  to  wipe  away  the 
drops  when  the  door  opened,  and  Mrs.  Gray 
hurried  into  the  room. 

"My  poor  child/'  she  exclaimed,  "have  you 
been  alone  all  this  time  ?  It  is  quite  too 
bad  !  I  made  sure  that  I  should  hear  the 
carriage  drive  up,  and  at  least  run  out  and 
give  you  a  welcome,  but  somehow  I  didn't; 
and  people  came  so  fast  and  thick  that  I 
couldn't  get  a  chance  to  glance  at  the  clock." 
She  kissed  Candace,  and  looked  at  her  with  a 
sort  of  soft  scrutiny.  It  was  to  the  full  as 
penetrating  as  that  of  the  strange  girls  on  the 
steamer  had  been;  but  it  did  not  hurt  like 
theirs.  Mrs.  Gray  had  beautiful,  big,  short- 
sighted blue  eyes  with  black  lashes;  when 
she  smiled  they  seemed  to  brim  with  a  sudden 


ON    THE    "KOLUS."  25 

fascinating  radiance.  She  smiled  now,  and 
reminded  Candace  somehow  of  a  great,  soft, 
fully  opened  garden  rose. 

"  You  have  something  of  your  mother's 
looks,  Cannie,,,  she  said.  "  I  knew  her  best 
when  she  was  about  your  age.  I  never  saw 
much  of  her  after  she  married  your  father 
and  went  up  to  live  among  the  hills."  She 
sighed  softly :  there  was  a  short  pause. 
Then,  with  a  sudden  change  of  tone,  she  con- 
tinued:  "And  all  this  time  you  have  never 
been  shown  your  room.  I  can't  think  why 
they  were  so  stupid.  Who  was  it  put  you 
here,  Cannie  ?  " 

"  It  was  —  a  lady  —  in  a  cap,"  replied  Can- 
dace,  hesitatingly. 

"  A  lady? — cap  ?  Oh,  it  must  have  been 
Elizabeth.  She  's  my  maid,  —  don't  make 
such  a  mistake  again,  dear ;  you  must  learn 
to  discriminate.  Well,  come  with  me  now, 
and  let  me  see  you  comfortably  established. 
The  girls  are  gone  on  a  yachting-party  to 
the  upper  end  of  the  island.  It  was  an  old 
engagement,  made  before  your  aunt's  letter 


26  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

came,  or  they  would  not  have  been  absent 
when  you  arrived.     They  were  very  sor —  " 

But  in  the  very  middle  of  the  word  came 
Frederic,  the  butler,  with  the  announcement 
of  new  visitors ;  and,  just  taking  time  to  lead 
Candace  down  the  entry  to  a  room  whose 
door  stood  wide  open,  Mrs.  Gray  hurried 
away,  saying  rapidly  :  "  Take  off  your  hat, 
dear.  Lie  down  for  a  rest,  had  n't  you  bet- 
ter ?     I'll  be  up  again  presently." 

"  I  wonder  if  everybody  is  always  in  a 
hurry  in  Newport  ?  "  Candace  thought. 

She  was  again  alone,  but  this  time  she  felt 
no  disposition  to  cry.  Her  trunk  had  been 
brought  up  by  somebody,  and  stood  already 
in  its  place,  with  the  straps  unloosened.  She 
took  off  her  hat  and  jacket,  unpacked  a  little, 
and  peeped  out  of  the  window  to  see  where 
she  was.  The  room  faced  the  east,  and 
across  a  corner  of  the  lawn  and  the  stable- 
yard  she  had  a  glimpse  of  the  sea,  which  had 
become  intensely  blue  with  the  coming  of 
the  later  afternoon. 

"  Oh,  that  is  good,"  she  said  to  herself.     "  I 


ON   THE    "EOLUS."  27 

shall  see  it  all  summer."  She  glanced  about 
the  room  with  a  growing  sense  of  proprietor- 
ship which  was  pleasant.  It  was  not  a  large 
room,  but  it  looked  cheerful,  with  its  simple 
furniture  of  pale-colored  ash  and  a  matted 
floor,  over  which  lay  a  couple  of  Persian  rugs. 
There  was  a  small  fireplace  bordered  with 
blue  tiles  which  matched  the  blue  papering 
on  the  walls ;  and  the  tiles  on  the  washstand, 
and  the  chintz  of  the  easy-chair  and  lounge, 
and  the  flower-jars  on  the  mantelpiece  were 
blue  also.  Altogether  it  was  a  pretty  little 
chamber,  with  which  any  girl  might  be  suffi- 
ciently well-pleased ;  and  as  Candace  noticed 
the  tiny  nosegay  of  mignonette  and  tea-roses 
which  stood  on  the  bureau,  her  heart  lightened 
with  the  sense  that  it  had  been  put  there  for 
her.  Some  one  had  thought  of  her  coming, 
and  prepared  for  it. 

She  brushed  out  her  curls  and  washed  her 
face  and  hands,  but  did  not  change  her  dress. 
The  blue  alpaca  was  the  newest  she  had,  and 
she  wished  to  look  her  best  on  that  first  even- 
ing.    She  sat  down  in  the  window  to  listen  to 


28  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

the  soft  boom  of  the  surf,  which  seemed  to 
grow  louder  as  the  night  drew  on,  and  did  not 
hear  Mrs.  Gray  as  she  came  down  the  entry. 
That  lady  stood  a  moment  in  the  half-open 
door,  surveying  her  young  visitor. 

"  What  am  I  to  do  with  her  ?  "  she  thought. 
"  I  want  to  befriend  Candace's  child,  but  I 
did  not  quite  realize,  till  I  saw  her  just  now, 
what  a  disadvantage  she  would  be  at  among 
all  these  girls  here,  with  their  French  clothes 
and  their  worse  than  French  ideas.  She  's 
not  plain.  There  's  a  good  deal  of  beauty 
about  that  shy  little  face  of  hers,  and  refine- 
ment too,  if  only  she  were  not  so  awkward. 
If  I  can  once  get  her  into  a  dress  that  fits, 
and  do  something  with  that  mop  of  curls,  she 
would  look  well  enough.  I  wonder  if  she 
will  take  it  kindly,  or  flare  up  and  feel  of- 
fended at  every  little  suggestion.  That  would 
be  terrible  !  —  You  are  listening  to  the  surf, 
dear.  I  'm  afraid  it  means  rain  to-morrow. 
That  sound  generally  is  a  symptom  of  mis- 
chief." 

"  Is  it  ?  "  said  Candace ;  "  what  a  pity !  * 


ON    THE    "EOLUS."  29 

"  A  pity  about  the  rain  ?  " 

"  No  —  but  it 's  such  a  pretty  sound." 

"  So  it  is.  Well,  if  you  are  ready,  let  us 
go  downstairs.  I  expect  the  girls  every 
moment.     Ah,  there  they  are  now  !  " 

The  line  of  windows  on  the  staircase  land- 
ing commanded  a  view  of  the  gate  and  ap- 
proach, and  looking  through  them  Candace 
saw  a  village  cart  with  twro  girls  on  the  front 
seat,  one  driving,  and  a  third  girl  in  the  rum- 
ble behind,  approaching  the  house.  A  couple 
of  young  men  on  horseback  rode  close  beside 
the  cart.  One  of  them  jumped  from  his 
horse,  helped  the  young  ladies  out,  there  was 
a  moment  of  laughter  and  chat ;  then,  touch- 
ing their  hats,  the  riders  departed,  and  the 
three  girls  came  into  the  hall. 

"  Mamma !  mammy  !  where  are  you,  dear  ?  " 
sang  out  three  youthful  voices. 

"  Here  I  am,  half-way  upstairs,"  replied 
Mrs.  Gray,  seating  herself  on  the  cushioned 
bench  of  the  landing. 

"  What  on  earth  are  you  doing  up  there  ? 
And  who  's  that  with  you  ?  " 


30  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

"  It 's  your  cousin  Candace.  Come  up  and 
be  introduced." 

Up  they  came  at  a  run,  each  trying  to  be 
the  first  to  arrive.  Candace  had  never  known 
many  girls,  but  these  were  of  a  different  spe- 
cies from  any  she  had  seen  before.  They 
seemed  full  of  spirits,  and  conveyed  the  idea 
of  being,  so  to  speak,  bursting  with  happiness, 
though  I  suppose  not  one  of  the  three  but 
would  have  resented  the  imputation  of  being 
happier  than  people  in  general  are  or  ought  to 
be.  Georgie,  the  eldest,  was  short  and  round, 
and  had  her  mother's  blue  near-sighted  eyes 
without  her  mother's  beauty.  Gertrude  was 
unusually  tall,  and  had  a  sort  of  lily-like 
grace ;  her  light  hair  was  very  thick,  and 
so  fine  in  quality  that  it  stood  out  like  a 
nimbus  round  her  pale  pretty  face.  Little 
Marian,  the  youngest,  two  years  Candace's 
junior,  was  not  yet  in  society,  but  had  been 
allowed  to  go  to  the  picnic  as  a  great  favor. 
Her  hair  had  a  reddish  tint  in  its  chest- 
nut, and  was  braided  in  one  large  plait 
down  her  back ;    she   had  brown   eyes  and 


31 

a  capable  little  face  which  was  full  of 
expression. 

They  all  spoke  kindly  to  Candace,  they  all 
kissed  her,  but  she  felt  much  less  at  ease  with 
them  than  with  their  mother,  whose  pecu- 
liarly charming  manner  seemed  to  invite 
confidence  from  everybody.  After  a  few 
questions  and  a  few  words  of  welcome,  they 
plunged  into  a  description  of  their  picnic,  — 
the  yacht-sail,  the  landing,  the  luncheon,  the 
general  delightfulness  of  everything. 

"  Berry  Joy  was  not  there,"  remarked 
Georgie.  "  She  had  gone  up  to  Wickford  to 
meet  some  one.  By  the  way,  she  must  have 
come  down  on  the  'Eolus'  with  you,  Candace. 
Did  you  see  her?  " 

"  There  were  two  young  ladies,"  answered 
Candace,  timidly. 

u  Did  you  hear  their  names  ?  Did  you  talk 
to  them  ?  "  asked  Gertrude. 

"  No  —  yes  —  no  —  I  mean  the  Captain 
called  one  of  them  Miss  Joy.  I  did  n't  talk 
to  them,  but  they  knew  you." 

"  Why,  how  could  you  tell  that?" 


OZ  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

"I  heard  them  talking  about  you." 
"  What  fun  !  What  did  they  say  ?  " 
Candace  hesitated.  Her  face  grew  crim- 
son. "  I  'd  rather  —  I  don't  —  "  she  began. 
Then  with  a  great  effort,  rallying  her  powers, 
she  went  on :  "  I  did  n't  like  to  sit  there  and 
hear  them  and  not  tell  them  that  I  was  your 
cousin;  but  I  was  top — too  —  frightened  to 
speak  to  them,  so  I  thought  I  would  never 
repeat  what  they  said,  and  then  it  would  n't 
be  any  matter." 

"  Quite  right,  Cannie,"  said  Mrs.  Gray, 
quickly.  Something  in  the  girl's  little  speech 
seemed  to  please  her  very  much. 


THE   FIRST   EVENING.  33 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE   FIRST   EVENING. 

ANDACE  ARDEN'S  mother  had 
not  only  been  Mrs.  Gray's  cousin, 
but  her  particular  friend  as  well. 
The  two  girls  had  been  brought 
up  together,  had  shared  their  studies  and 
secrets  and  girlish  fun,  and  had  scarcely  ever 
been  separated  for  a  week,  until  suddenly  a 
change  came  which  separated  them  for  all 
the  rest  of  their  lives. 

Pretty  Candace  Van  Vliet  went  up  to  New 
Haven  on  her  nineteenth  birthday  to  see 
what  a  college  commencement  was  like,  and 
at  the  President's  reception  afterward  met 
Henry  Arden,  the  valedictorian  of  the  grad- 
uating class,  a  handsome  fellow  just  twenty- 
one  years  old.  He  came  of  plain  farming- 
oeople  in  the  hill  country  of  Connecticut ;  but 


34  A    LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

he  was  clever,  ambitious,  and  his  manners  had 
a  natural  charm,  to  which  his  four  years  of  col- 
lege life  had  added  ease  and  the  rubbing  away 
of  any  little  rustic  awkwardness  with  which 
he  might  have  begun.  Candace  thought  him 
delightful ;  he  thought  her  more  than  delight- 
ful. In  short,  it  was  one  of  the  sudden  love- 
affairs  with  which  college  commencements  not 
infrequently  end,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few 
weeks  they  engaged  themselves  to  each  other. 
Henry  was  to  be  a  minister,  and  his  theo- 
logical course  must  be  got  through  with  before 
they  could  marry.  Three  years  the  course 
should  have  taken,  but  he  managed  to  do  it 
in  a  little  more  than  two,  being  spurred  on 
by  his  impatient  desire  for  home  and  wife, 
and  a  longing,  no  less  urgent,  to  begin  as  soon 
as  possible  to  earn  his  own  bread  and  relieve 
his  father  from  the  burden  of  his  support. 
No  one  knew  better  than  he  with  what  pinch- 
ing and  saving  and  self-sacrifice  it  had  been 
made  possible  for  him  to  get  a  college  educa- 
tion and  become  a  clergyman ;  what  daily 
self-denials  had  been  endured  for  his  sake  in 


THE    FIEST    EVENING.  35 

that  old  yellow  farm-house  on  the  North  Tol- 
land hills.  He  was  the  only  son,  the  only 
child ;  and  his  father  and  mother  were  con- 
tent to  bear  anything  so  long  as  it  gave  him 
a  chance  to  make  the  most  of  himself. 

It  is  not  an  uncommon  story  in  this  New 
England  of  ours.  Many  and  many  a  farm- 
house could  tell  a  similar  tale  of  thrift,  hard 
work,  and  parental  love.  The  bare  rocky 
acres  are  made  to  yield  their  uttermost,  the 
cows  to  do  their  full  duty,  the  scanty  apples  of 
the  "off  year"  are  carefully  harvested,  every 
pullet  and  hen  is  laid  under  contribution  for 
the  great  need  of  the  moment,  —  the  getting 
the  boys  through  college.  It  is  both  beauti- 
ful and  pitiful,  as  all  sacrifices  must  be ;  but 
the  years  of  effort  and  struggle  do  not  always 
end,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Ardens,  with  a  dis- 
appointment and  a  grief  so  bitter  as  to  make 
the  self-spending  seem  all  in  vain. 

For  the  over-study  of  those  two  years 
proved  too  much  for  Henry  Arden's  health. 
It  was  not  hard  study  alone ;  he  stinted  him- 
self in  food,  in  firing  as  well  5   he  exacted 


36  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

every  possible  exertion  from  his  mind,  and 
systematically  neglected  his  body.  The  ex- 
aminations were  brilliantly  passed  ;  he  was  or- 
dained ;  he  received  a  "call"  to  Little  Upshire, 
the  village  nearest  to  North  Tolland;  there 
was  a  pretty  wedding  in  the  old  Van  Vliet 
mansion  on  Second  Avenue,  at  which  Kate 
Van  Vliet,  herself  just  engaged  to  Courtenay 
Gray,  acted  as  bridesmaid ;  and  then  the  cous- 
ins parted.  They  only  met  once  again,  when 
Mrs.  Arden  came  down  from  the  country  to 
see  her  cousin  married.  Henry  did  not  come 
w7ith  her;  he  was  not  very  well,  she  explained, 
and  she  must  hurry  back. 

That  was  the  beginning  of  a  long  wasting 
illness.  Some  spring  of  vitality  seemed  to 
have  been  broken  during  those  two  terrible 
years  at  the  theological  seminary;  and  though 
Henry  Arden  lived  on,  and  even  held  his 
parish  for  several  years,  he  was  never  fit  for 
any  severe  study  or  labor.  The  last  three 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  the  old  farm- 
house at  North  Tolland,  where  his  aunt  Myra, 
a  spare,  sinewy,  capable  old  maid,  was  keeping 


THE    FIRST    EVENING.  37 

house  for  his  father.  Mrs.  Arden  had  died 
soon  after  her  son's  illness  began ;  her  heart 
was  "kind  of  broken,"  the  neighbors  said, 
and  perhaps  it  was. 

And  little  Candace  and  her  mother  lived 
on  with  the  old  people  after  the  long,  sorrow- 
ful nursing  was  done,  and  another  gray  head- 
stone had  been  placed  beside  the  rest  in  the 
Arden  lot  in  the  North  Tolland  graveyard, 
having  carved  upon  it,  "  Sacred  to  the  mem- 
ory of  the  Rev.  Henry  Arden,  aged  thirty-four. 
The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken 
away.  Blessed  be  His  Holy  name."  There 
seemed  nothing  else  for  them  to  do  but  to 
live  on  where  they  were.  Mrs.  Gray  was  in 
China  with  her  husband,  who  at  that  time  was 
the  resident  partner  in  a  well-known  firm  of 
tea-importers.  Aunt  Van  Vliet  had  gone  to 
Europe  after  her  daughter's  marriage.  There 
was  no  one  to  come  to  the  aid  of  the  drooping 
young  widow,  and  carry  her  away  from  the 
lonely  life  and  the  sad  memories  which  were 
slowly  killing  her.  For  her  child's  sake  she 
did  her  best  to  rally;  but  her  strength  had 


38  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

been  severely  taxed  during  her  husband's 
illness,  and  dying  was  easier  than  living ;  so 
she  died  when  Candace  was  just  eight  years 
old,  and  the  little  girl  and  the  two  old  people 
were  left  alone  in  the  yellow  farm-house. 

A  twelvemonth  later,  Grandfather  Arden 
had  a  stroke  of  paralysis.  —  Don't  be  too  much 
discouraged,  dear  children ;  this  is  positively 
the  last  death  that  I  shall  have  occasion  to 
chronicle  in  this  story.  But  it  seemed  neces- 
sary to  show  what  sort  of  life  Candace  had 
lived,  in  order  to  explain  the  sort  of  girl 
she  was. — After  her  grandfather  died,  Aunt 
Myra,  aged  sixty-nine,  and  little  Cannie,  aged 
nine,  alone  remained  of  the  once  large  house- 
hold ;  and  the  farm-house  seemed  very  big 
and  empty,  and  had  strange  echoes  in  all  the 
unused  corners. 

It  was  a  lonely  place,  and  a  lonely  life  for 
a  child.  Candace  had  few  enjoyments,  and 
almost  no  young  companions.  She  had  never 
been  used  to  either,  so  she  did  not  feel  the 
want  of  them  as  most  little  girls  would  have 
done.     Aunt   Myra   was   kind    enough,  and, 


THE   FIKST   EVENING.  39 

indeed,  fond  of  her  in  a  dry,  elderly  way; 
but  she  could  not  turn  herself  into  a  play- 
mate. It  is  not  often  that  a  person  who  is 
as  old  as  sixty-nine  remembers  how  it  feels 
to  play.  Aunt  Myra  approved  of  Cannie 
especially,  because  she  was  "such  a  quiet 
child;"  but  I  think  Cannie's  mother  would 
rather  have  had  her  noisier. 

"  She 's  a  nice  girl  as  I  want  to  see,"  Aunt 
Myra  was  wont  to  tell  her  cronies.  "She's 
likely-appearing  enough,  —  and  that 's  better 
than  being  too  pretty.  And  she 's  helpful 
about  the  house  for  such  a  young  cretur,  and 
she 's  not  a  bit  forth-putting  or  highty-tighty. 
I  don't  know  how  I  should  have  managed  if 
Candace  had  turned  out  the  sort  of  girl  some 
of  'em  are,  —  like  those  Buell  girls,  for  in- 
stance, always  raising  Ned  because  they  can't 
get  down  to  Hartford  or  Bridgeport  to  shop 
and  see  the  sights  and  have  a  good  time.  As 
if  good  times  couldn't  be  had  to  home  as 
well  as  anywhere  !  Why,  I  reckon  that  Miss 
Buell  has  more  fuss  and  trouble  in  fitting 
out  those  girls  every  spring  of  her  life  than 


40  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

I  've  had  with  Cannie  since  her  mother  died. 
She  never  makes  one  mite  of  difficulty,  or 
bothers  with  objections.  She  just  puts  on 
whatever  I  see  fit  to  get  her ;  and  she  likes 
it,  and  there  \s  the  end." 

This  was  not  quite  as  true  as  Aunt  Myra 
supposed.  Candace  wore  whatever  it  was 
ordained  that  she  should  wear,  but  she  did 
not  always  "  like  "  it.  From  her  mother  she 
inherited  a  certain  instinct  of  refinement  and 
taste  which  only  needed  the  chance  to  show 
itself.  But  there  was  little  chance  to  exer- 
cise taste  in  the  old  yellow  farm-house,  and 
Candace,  from  training  and  long  habit,  was 
submissive;  so  she  accepted  the  inevita- 
ble, and,  as  her  great-aunt  said,  "  made  no 
difficulty." 

Letters  came  now  and  then  from  "  Cousin 
Kate,"  far  away  in  China,  and  once  a  little 
box  with  a  carved  ivory  fan  as  fine  as  lace- 
work,  a  dozen  gay  pictures  on  rice  paper, 
and  a  scarf  of  watermelon-pink  crape,  which 
smelt  of  sandalwood,  and  was  by  far  the 
most  beautiful   thing  that  Cannie   had  ever 


THE    FIKST    EVENING.  41 

seen.  Then,  two  years  before  our  story 
opens,  the  Grays  came  back  to  America  to 
live  ;  and  a  correspondence  began  between 
Mrs.  Gray  and  Aunt  Myra,  part  of  which 
Candace  heard  about  and  part  she  did  not. 
Mrs.  Gray  was  anxious  to  know  her  cousin's 
child  and  be  of  use  to  her;  but  first  one 
thing  and  then  another  delayed  their  meet- 
ing. The  first  winter  the  Grays  spent  at  a 
hotel  looking  for  a  house  ;  the  second,  they 
were  all  in  Florida  on  account  of  Mr.  Gray's 
health.  These  difficulties  were  now  settled. 
A  town  house  had  been  chosen,  a  Newport 
cottage  leased  for  a  term  of  years,  and  Can- 
nie  was  asked  for  a  long  summer  visit. 

It  was  Mrs.  Gray's  secret  desire  that  this 
visit  should  lead  to  a  sort  of  adoption,  that 
Cannie  should  stay  on  with  them  as  a  fourth 
daughter,  and  share  all  her  cousins'  advan- 
tages of  education  and  society;  but  before 
committing  herself  to  such  a  step,  she  wished 
to  see  what  the  girl  was  like. 

"  It 's  so  much  easier  to  keep  out  of  such  an 
arrangement  than  to  get  out  of  it,"  she  told 


42  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

her  husband.  "  My  poor  Candace  was  an 
angel,  all  sweetness  and  charm  ;  but  her 
child  has  the  blood  of  those  stiff  Connecticut 
farmers  in  her.  She  may  be  like  her  father's 
people,  and  not  in  the  least  like  her  mother ; 
she  may  be  hopelessly  stupid  or  vulgar  or 
obstinate  or  un-improvable.  We  will  wait 
and  see." 

This  secret  doubt  and  question  was,  I 
think,  the  reason  why  Mrs.  Gray  was  so 
pleased  at  Cannie's  little  speech  about  Miss 
Joy  and  her  friend. 

u  That  was  the  true,  honorable  feeling," 
she  thought  to  herself;  "  the  child  is  a  lady 
by  instinct.  It  was  n't  easy  for  her  to  say  it, 
either  ;  she  's  a  shy  little  thing.  Well,  if  she 
has  the  instinct,  the  rest  can  be  added.  It 's 
easy  enough  to  polish  a  piece  of  mahogany, 
but  you  may  rub  all  day  at  a  pine  stick  and 
not  make  much  out  of  it." 

As  these  thoughts  passed  rapidly  through 
her  mind,  she  stole  her  arm  across  Candace's 
shoulders  and  gave  them  a  little  warm  pres- 
sure ;   but  all  she  said  was,  — 


THE    FIRST    EVENING.  43 

iC  Dinner  in  twenty  minutes,  children.  You 
would  better  run  up  at  once  and  make  ready. 
Cannie,  you  and  I  will  go  to  the  library,  — 
you  have  n't  seen  my  husband  yet." 

The  library  was  a  big,  airy  room,  with  an 
outlook  to  the  sea.  There  were  not  many 
books  in  it,  only  enough  to  fill  a  single  low 
range  of  book-shelves ;  but  the  tables  were  cov- 
ered with  freshly  cut  magazines  and  pamphlet 
novels ;  there  was  a  great  file  of  "  Punch  " 
and  other  illustrated  papers,  arid  that  air 
of  light-reading-in-abundance  which  seems  to 
suit  a  house  in  summer-time.  A  little  wrood- 
fire  was  snapping  on  a  pair  of  very  bright 
andirons,  and,  June  though  it  was,  its  warmth 
was  agreeable.  Beside  it,  in  an  enormous 
Russia-leather  armchair,  sat  Mr.  Gray,  — 
an  iron-wHiskered,  shrewd-looking  man  of 
the  world,  with  a  pair  of  pleasant,  kindly 
eyes,  and  that  shining  bald  spot  on  his  head 
which  seems  characteristic  of  the  modern 
business  man. 

"  Court,  here  is  our  new  child,"  said  Mrs. 
Gray;  "poor  Candace's  daughter,  you  know." 


44  A   LITTLE    COUNTKY    GIRL. 

Mr.  Gray  understood,  from  his  wife's  tone, 
that  she  was  pleased  with  her  little  visitor 
so  far,  and  he  greeted  her  in  a  very  friendly 
fashion. 

"  You  have  your  mother's  eyes,"  he  said. 
"  I  recollect  her  perfectly,  though  we  only 
met  two  or  three  times,  and  that  was  seven- 
teen —  let  me  see  —  nearly  eighteen  years 
ago  it  must  have  been.  Her  hair,  too,  I 
should  say,"  glancing  at  Cannie's  chestnut 
mop  ;  "  it  was  very  thick,  I  remember,  and 
curled  naturally." 

"  Aunt  Myra  always  says  that  my  hair  is 
the  same  color  as  mother's,"  replied  Candace. 

"  It  is  almost  exactly  the  same.  Do  you 
remember  her  at  all,  Cannie  ? "  asked  Mrs. 
Gray. 

"  Just  a  little.  I  recollect  things  she  used 
to  wear,  and  where  she  used  to  sit,  and  one 
or  two  things  she  said.  But  perhaps  I  don't 
recollect  them,  but  think  I  do  because  Aunt 
Myra  told  them  to  me." 

"  Is  there  no  picture  of  her  ?  " 

"Only  a  tin- type,  and  it  isn't  very  good. 


THE    FIRST    EVENING.  45 

It  's  almost  faded  out ;  you  can  hardly  see 
the  face" 

"  What  a  pity  !  " 

a  Le  diner  est  servi,  Madame/'  said  the 
voice  of  Frederic  at  the  door. 

"  We  won't  wait  for  the  girls.  They  will 
be  down  in  a  moment/'  said  Mrs.  Gray,  as  she 
led  the  way  to  the  dining-room.  The  sound 
of  their  feet  on  the  staircase  was  heard  as 
she  spoke ;  and  down  they  ran,  the  elder  two 
in  pretty  dresses  of  thin  white  woollen  stuff, 
which  Candace  in  her  unworldliness  thought 
fine  enough  for  a  party. 

People  in  North  Tolland  did  not  dine  in 
the  modern  sense  of  the  word.  They  took 
in  supplies  of  food  at  stated  intervals,  very 
much  as  a  locomotive  stops  for  wood 'and 
water  when  it  cannot  go  on  any  longer  with- 
out such  replenishment ;  but  it  was  a  matter 
of  business  and  necessity  to  do  so  rather  than 
of  pleasure. 

Candace,  who  had  sat  down  opposite  Aunt 
Myra  every  day  as  long  as  she  could  remem- 
ber at  the  small  pine  table  in  the  yellow- 


46  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

painted  kitchen,  with  always  the  same  thick 
iron-stone  ware  plates  and  cups,  the  same  lit- 
tle black  tray  to  hold  the  tea-things,  the  same 
good,  substantial,  prosaic  fare,  served  without 
the  least  attempt  at  grace  or  decoration,  had 
never  dreamed  of  such  a  dinner  as  was  usual 
at  the  Grays'.  She  said  not  a  word  to  express 
her  astonishment ;  but  she  glanced  at  the 
thick  cluster  of  maiden-hair  ferns  which  quiv- 
ered in  the  middle  of  the  table  from  an  oval 
stand  of  repousse  brass,  at  the  slender  glasses 
of  tea-roses  which  stood  on  either  side,  at  the 
Sevres  dishes  of  fruit,  sweet  biscuits,  and  dried 
ginger,  and  wondered  if  this  were  to  be  all 
the  dinner.  Did  fashionable  people  never 
eat  anything  more  substantial  than  grapes 
and  crackers  ?  She  felt  very  hungry,  and 
yet  it  seemed  coarse  not  to  be  satisfied  when 
everything  was  so  pretty. 

"  Consomme,  Mademoiselle  ?  "  murmured 
Frederic  in  her  ear,  as  he  placed  before  her  a 
plate  full  of  some  clear  liquid  which  smelt 
deliciously,  and  offered  a  small  dish  of  grated 
cheese  for  her  acceptance. 


THE    FIRST    EVENING.  47 

a  Oh,  thank  you,  sir,"  said  Candace,  won- 
dering confusedly  if  cheese  in  soup  was  the 
correct  thing. 

Mrs.  Gray's  quick  ear  caught  the  "sir." 
She  did  not  even  turn  her  head,  but  she  men- 
tally added  another  to  the  hints  which  must 
be  administered  to  Candace  as  soon  as  she 
was  sufficiently  at  home  to  bear  them. 

Spanish  mackerel  was  the  next  course. 
Candace  inadvertently  took  up  the  steel 
knife  placed  beside  her  plate,  instead  of  the 
silver  one  meant  for  use  with  fish.  The  re- 
sult was  that  when  the  saddle  of  mutton  was 
served,  she  had  no  usable  knife.  Mr.  Gray 
observed  her  difficulty,  and  directed  Frederic 
to  bring  a  steel  knife  for  Mademoiselle,  which 
Frederic  did,  first  casting  a  scrutinizing  glance 
about  as  if  in  search  of  something  ;  and  again 
Candace  felt  that  she  was  somehow  out  of  the 
way. 

The  climax  of  her  discomfort  came  with 
the  pretty  tinted  fruit  plates  and  finger-bowls. 
Candace's  tumbler  was  empty,  and  without 
particularly  thinking  about    the   matter  she 


48  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

took  a  drink  out  of  her  finger-bowl,  which  she 
mistook  for  some  sort  of  lemonade,  from  the 
bit  of  lemon  which  floated  in  the  water. 

The  moment  after,  she  was  conscious  of 
her  blunder.  She  saw  Georgie  dabbling  her 
fingers  in  her  bowl.  She  saw  Gertrude  with 
difficulty  keeping  back  a  smile  which  would 
flicker  in  her  eyes,  though  her  lips  were 
rigidly  grave.  Little  Marian  giggled  out- 
right, and  then  relapsed  into  a  frightened 
solemnity.  Candace  felt  utterly  miserable. 
.  She  looked  toward  Mrs.  Gray  apprehensively, 
but  that  lady  only  gave  her  an  encouraging 
smile.  Mr.  Gray  put  a  bunch  of  hot-house 
grapes  on  her  plate.  She  ate  them  wdthout 
the  least  idea  of  their  flavor.  With  the  last 
grape  a  hot  tear  splashed  down ;  and  the 
moment  Mrs.  Gray  moved,  Candace  fled  up- 
stairs to  her  own  room,  where  she  broke 
down  into  a  fit  of  homesick  crying. 

How  she  longed  for  the  old  customary 
home  among  the  hills,  where  nobody  minded 
what  she  did,  or  how  she  ate,  or  "  had  any 
manners  in  particular,"  as  she  phrased  it  to 


THE   FIRST   EVENING.  49 

ner  own  mind,  or  thought  her  ignorant  or 
awkward.  And  yet,  on  sober  second  thought, 
did  she  really  wish  so  much  to  go  back  ? 
Was  it  not  better  to  stay  on  where  she  was, 
and  learn  to  be  graceful  and  low-spoken  and 
at  ease  always,  like  her  cousin  Kate,  if  she 
could,  even  if  she  had  to  undergo  some  mor- 
tification in  the  process  ?  Candace  was  not 
sure. 

She  had  stopped  crying,  and  was  cooling 
her  eyes  with  a  wet  towel  when  she  heard  a 
little  tap  at  the  door.  It  was  Mrs.  Gray 
herself. 

"  Where  are  you,  Cannie  ?  "  she  said,  look- 
ing about  the  room  with  her  short-sighted 
eyes.  "  You  are  so  dark  here  that  I  cannot 
see  you." 

"  I  'm  here  by  the  washstand,"  faltered 
Candace ;  and  then,  to  her  dismay,  she  began 
to  cry  again.  She  tried  to  subdue  it;  but  a 
little  sob,  which  all  her  efforts  could  not  stifle, 
fell  upon  her  cousin's  observant  ear. 

"My  dear  child,  you  are  crying,"  she  ex- 
claimed ;  and  in  another  minute  Candace,  she 

4 


50  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

scarcely  knew  how,  was  in  Mrs.  Gray's  arms, 
they  were  sitting  on  the  sofa  .together,  and 
she  was  finishing  her  cry  with  her  head  on 
the  kindest  of  shoulders  and  an  unexpected 
feeling  of  comfort  at  her  heart.  Anything  so 
soft  and  tender  as  Cousin  Kate's  arms  she  had 
never  known  before  ;  there  was  a  perfume  of 
motherliness  about  them  which  to  a  mother- 
less girl  was  wholly  irresistible.  Gertrude 
declared  that  mamma  always  stroked  peo- 
ple's trouble  away  with  those  hands  of  hers, 
and  that  they  looked  just  like  the  hands 
of  the  Virgin  in  Holbein's  Madonna,  as  if 
they  could  mother  the  whole  world. 

"  Now,  tell  me,  Cannie,  tell  me,  dear  child," 
said  Mrs.  Gray,  when  the  shower  was  over 
and  the  hard  sobs  had  grown  faint  and  far 
between,  "  what  made  you  cry  ?  Was  it 
because  you  are  tired  and  a  little  homesick 
among  us  all,  or  were  you  troubled  about 
anything  ?     Tell  me,  Cannie." 

"  Oh,  it 's  only  because  I'm  so  stupid  and 
—  and  —  countrified,"  said  Candace,  begin- 
ning  to   sob    again.     "  I   made    such   horrid 


THE    FIRST   EVENING.  51 

mistakes  at  dinner,  and  Gertrude  wanted  to 
laugh,  —  she  didn't  laugh,  but  I  saw  her 
want  to,  —  and  Marian  did  laugh,  and  I  felt 
so  badly." 

"  Marian  is  such  a  little  girl  that  you  must 
forgive  her  this  once,"  said  Mrs.  Gray, 
"  though  I  am  rather  ashamed  of  her  myself. 
I  saw  all  your  i  mistakes,'  as  you  call  them, 
Cannie,  even  one  or  two  that  you  did  n't  see 
yourself.  They  were  very  little  mistakes, 
dear,  not  worth  crying  about,  —  small  blun- 
ders in  social  etiquette,  which  is  a  matter  of 
minor  importance,  —  not  failures  in  good  feel- 
ing or  good  manners,  which  are  of  real  con- 
sequence. They  did  not  make  anybody 
uncomfortable  except  yourself." 

"  Cousin  Kate,"  Candace  ventured  to  ask, 
"  will  you  tell  me  why  there  is  such  a  thing 
as  etiquette  ?  Why  must  everybody  eat  and 
behave  and  speak  in  the  same  way,  and  make 
rules  about  it  ?     Is  it  any  real  use  ?  " 

"  That  is  rather  a  large  question,  and  leads 
back  to  the  beginning  of  things,"  said  Mrs. 
Gray,   smiling.      "I   don't   suppose   I   quite 


52  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

understand  it  myself,  but  I  think  I  can  make 
you  understand  a  part  of  it.  I  imagine,  when 
the  world  was  first  peopled,  in  the  strange  far- 
away times  of  which  we  know  almost  nothing 
except  the  hints  we  get  in  the  Bible,  that  the 
few  people  there  were  did  pretty  much  as 
they  liked.  Noah  and  his  family  in  the  ark, 
for  instance,  probably  never  set  any  tables  or 
had  any  regular  meals,  but  just  ate  when 
they  were  hungry,  each  one  by  himself.  Sav- 
age tribes  do  the  same  to  this  day ;  they  seize 
their  bone  or  their  handful  of  meat  and  gnaw 
it  in  a  corner,  or  as  they  walk  about.  This 
was  the  primitive  idea  of  comfort.  But  after 
a  time  people  found  that  it  was  less  trouble 
to  have  the  family  food  made  ready  at  a  cer- 
tain time  for  everybody  at  once,  and  have  all 
come  together  to  eat  it.  Perhaps  at  first  it 
was  served  in  one  great  pot  or  dish,  and  each 
one  dipped  in  his  hand  or  spoon.  The  Arabs 
still  do  this.  Then,  of  course,  the  strongest 
and  greediest  got  the  most  of  everything, 
and  it  may  have  been  some  weak  or  slow 
person   who    went    hungry    in   consequence, 


THE    FIRST    EVENING.  53 

who  invented  the  idea  of  separate  plates  and 
portions." 

"  But  that  is  not  etiquette/'  objected  Can- 
nie.  "  People  have  plates  and  set  tables 
everywhere  now,  —  in  this  country,  I  mean." 

u  Yes,  but  can't  you  imagine  a  time  when 
to  have  a  bowl  or  a  saucer  to  yourself  was 
considered  finical  and  '  stuck  up/  and  when 
some  rough  Frank  or  Gaul  from  the  moun- 
tains looked  on  disapprovingly,  and  said  that 
the  world  was  coming  to  a  pretty  pass  if  such 
daintiness  was  to  be  allowed  ?  A  bowl  to 
one's  self  was  etiquette  then.  All  sorts  of 
things  which  to  us  seem  matter  of  course  and 
commonplace,  began  by  being  novelties  and 
subjects  for  discussion  and  wonderment.  Re- 
member that  tea,  potatoes,  carpets,  tobacco, 
matches,  almost  all  our  modern  convenien- 
ces, were  quite  unknown  even  so  lately  as 
four  or  five  hundred  years  ago.  As  the  world 
grew  richer,  people  went  on  growing  more 
refined.  The  richest  folks  tried  to  make 
their  houses  more  beautiful  than  the  houses 
of    their    neighbors.      They    gave    splendid 


54  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

feasts,  and  hired  sculptors  and  artists  to  in- 
vent decorations  for  their  tables,  and  all  kinds 
of  little  elegant  usages  sprang  up  which 
have  gradually  become  the  custom  of  our 
own  day,  even  among  people  who  are  not 
rich  and  do  not  give  feasts." 

"  But  do  they  mean  anything  ?  Are  they 
of  any  real  use  ?  "  persisted  Cannie. 

u  I  confess  that  some  of  them  do  not  seem 
to  mean  a  great  deal.  Still,  if  we  look  closely, 
I  think  we  shall  find  that  almost  every  one 
had  its  origin  in  one  of  two  causes,  —  either 
it  was  a  help  to  personal  convenience,  or  in 
some  way  it  made  people  more  agreeable  or 
less  disagreeable  to  their  neighbors.  We 
have  to  study,  and  to  guess  a  little  some- 
times, to  make  out  just  why  it  has  become 
customary  to  do  this  or  that,  for  the  origi- 
nal reason  has  been  forgotten  or  perhaps 
does  not  exist  any  longer,  while  the  cus- 
tom remains." 

"  I  wonder,"  said  Cannie,  whose  mind  was 
still  running  on  her  own  mishaps,  u  why  peo- 
ple must  n't  cut  fish  with   a  steel  knife.     I 


THE    FIKST    EVENING.  55 

read  in  a  book  once  that  it  was  not  genteel 
to  do  so,  and  I  could  n't  think  why.  And 
then  to-night  I  did  n't  see  the  little  silver 
one  — 

"  I  imagine  that  in  the  first  instance  some 
old  gourmet  discovered  or  fancied  that  a  steel 
knife  gave  a  taste  to  fish  which  injured  it. 
So  people  gave  up  using  knives,  and  it  grew 
to  be  said  that  it  was  vulgar  and  a  mark  of 
ignorance  to  cut  fish  with  them.  Then,  later, 
it  was  found  not  to  be  quite  comfortable  al- 
ways to  tear  your  bit  of  fish  apart  with  a  fork 
and  hold  it  down  with  a  piece  of  bread  while 
you  did  so,  and  the  custom  arose  of  having 
a  silver  knife  to  cut  fish  with.  It  is  a  con- 
venient custom,  too,  for  some  reasons.  Wait- 
ing on  table  is  quite  an  art,  now-a-days? 
when  there  are  so  many  changes  of  plates, 
and  a  good  waiter  always  tries  to  simplify 
what  he  has  to  do,  by  providing  as  much  as 
possible  beforehand.  You  can  see  that  if 
each  person  has  beside  his  plate  a  silver  knife 
for  fish  and  a  steel  knife  for  meat  and  two 
forks  these  two  courses  will  go  on  more  easily 


56  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY*    GIRL. 

and  quietly  than  if  the  waiter  has  to  stop 
and  bring  a  fresh  knife  and  fork  for  each 
person  before  he  helps  to  the  dish,  whatever 
it  is. 

"But  why  is  there  nothing  on  the  table 
but  flowers  and  pretty  little  things?  And 
why  do  they  put  lemon-peel  in  the  bowls  of 
water  ?  " 

"  Well,  the  lemon  is  supposed  to  take  the 
smell  of  dinner  away  from  the  fingers.  And 
it  isn't  always  lemon.  Frederic  is  apt  to 
drop  in  a  geranium  leaf  or  a  sprig  of  lemon- 
verbena,  and  those  are  nicer.  As  for  the 
other  thing,  it  is  more  convenient  for  many 
reasons  not  to  have  the  carving  done  on  the 
table ;  but  aside  from  that,  I  imagine  that  in 
the  first  instance  the  custom  was  a  matter  of 
economy.'5 

" Economy!"  repeated  Candace,  opening 
wide  her  eyes. 

"Yes,  economy,  though  it  seems  droll  to 
say  so.  In  the  old  days,  when  the  meat  came 
on  in  a  big  platter,  and  the  vegetables  each 
in  its  large  covered  dish,  people  had  to  put 


THE   FIRST    EVENING.  57 

more  on  table  than  was  really  wanted,  for 
the  sake  of  not  looking  mean  and  giving 
their  neighbors  occasion  for  talk.  Now,  when 
everything  is  carved  on  a  side-table  and  a 
nice  little  portion  carried  to  each  person, 
you  are  able  to  do  with  exactly  what  is 
needed.  There  need  not  be  a  great  piece 
of  everything  left  over  for  look's  sake.  One 
chicken  is  enough  for  four  or  five  people  if 
it  is  skilfully  carved,  but  the  chicken  would 
look  rather  scanty  on  a  platter  by  itself;  don't 
you  think  so  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Cannie,  with  a  little  laugh. 
She  had  forgotten  her  troubles  in  the  interest 
of  the  discussion. 

"A  dish  containing  one  mutton-chop  and  a 
spoonful  of  peas  for  each  person  would  be 
called  a  stingy  dish  in  the  country,  where 
every  one  sees  his  food  on  the  table  before 
him,"  continued  Mrs.  Gray ;  "  but  it  is  quite 
enough  for  the  single  course  it  is  meant  to 
be  at  a  city  dinner.  There  is  no  use  in  hav- 
ing three  or  four  chops  left  over  to  toughen 
and  growr  cold." 


58  A   LITTLE   COUNTRY   GIRL. 

"  I  see,"  said  Cannie,  thoughtfully  ;  *  what 
else  did  I  do  that  was  wrrong,  Cousin  Kate  ?  " 

"  You  called  Frederic  *  sir,' ' '  replied  her 
cousin,  with  a  smile.  "  That  was  not  wrong, 
but  not  customary.  Servants  are  expected 
to  say  '  sir  '  and  '  ma'am  '  to  their  employers 
as  a  mark  of  respect ;  and  people  not  servants 
use  the  word  less  frequently  than  they  for- 
merly did.  They  keep  such  terms  for  elderly 
or  distinguished  persons,  to  whom  they  wish 
to  show  special  deference." 

"  But  Aunt  Myra  always  made  me  say  i  sir ' 
and  'ma'am'  to  her  and  grandpapa.  She  said 
it  was  impolite  not  to." 

"  She  was  quite  right ;  for  she  and  your 
grandfather  were  a  great  deal  older  than 
yourself,  and  it  was  only  respectful  to  address 
them  so.  Bat  you  need  not  use  the  phrase 
to  everybody  to  whom  you  speak." 

"  Not  to  you  ?  " 

"Well,  I  wrould  quite  as  soon  that  in  speak- 
ing to  me  you  said,  Yes,  Cousin  Kate,'  as i  Yes, 
ma'am.'  That  is  what  I  have  taught  my  chil- 
dren to  do.     They  say,  'Yes,  mamma;'  'Did 


THE    FIRST    EVENING.  59 

you  call  me,  papa?'  I  like  the  sound  of  it 
better;  but  it  is  only  a  matter  of  taste.  There 
is  no  real  right  or  wrong  involved  in  it." 

Candace  sat  for  a  moment  in  silence,  re- 
volving these  new  ideas  in  her  mind. 

"  Cousin  Kate,"  she  said  timidly,  "  will  you 
tell  me  when  I  make  little  mistakes,  like  that 
about  the  knife  ?  I  'd  like  to  learn  to  do 
things  right  if  I  could,  and  if  it  wouldn't 
trouble  you  too  much." 

"Dear  Cannie,"  —  and  Mrs.  Gray  kissed  her, 
—  "I  will,  of  course ;  and  I  am  glad  you  like 
to  have  me.  Your  mother  was  the  sweetest, 
most  refined  little  lady  that  I  ever  knew.  I 
loved  her  dearly ;  and  I  should  love  to  treat 
you  as  I  do  my  own  girls,  to  whom  T  have  to 
give  a  hint  or  a  caution  or  a  little  lecture 
almost  every  day  of  their  lives.  No  girl  ever 
grew  into  a  graceful,  well-bred  woman  without 
many  such  small  lessons  from  somebody.  If 
your  mother  had  lived,  all  these  things  would 
have  come  naturally  to  you  from  the  mere 
fact  of  being  .with  her  and  noticing  what  she 
did.     You  would  have   needed  no  help  from 


60  A   LITTLE    COUNTKY    GIKL. 

any  one  else.  But  are  you  sure/'  she  went 
on,  after  a  little  pause,  "  that  you  won't  end 
by  thinking  me  tiresome  or  interfering  or 
worrisome,  if  I  do  as  I  say  ? " 

"  No,  indeed,  I  won't !  "  cried  Candace,  to 
whom  this  long  talk  had  been  like  the  clear- 
ing up  after  a  thunder-shower.  "I  think  it 
would  be  too  mean  if  I  felt  that  way  when 
you  are  so  kind." 


A   WALK    ON   THE    CLIFFS.  61 


CHAPTER  III. 

A   WALK   ON   THE    CLIFFS. 

jT  is  always  an  odd,  unhomelike  mo- 
ment when  one  wakes  up  for  the 
first  time  in  a  new  place.  Sleep  is 
a  separation  between  us  and  all 
that  has  gone  before  it.  It  takes  a  little  while 
to  recollect  where  we  are  and  how  we  came 
there,  and  to  get  used  to  the  strangeness 
which  had  partly  worn  away,  .but  has  come 
on  again  while  we  dreamed  and  forgot  all 
about  it. 

Candace  experienced  this  when  she  woke 
in  the  little  blue  room  the  morning  after  her 
arrival  in  Newport.  She  had  gone  to  bed, 
by  Mrs.  Gray's  advice,  when  their  long  talk 
about  manners  and  customs  was  ended,  and 
without  going  downstairs  again. 

"  You  are  very  tired,  I  can  see,"  said  Cousin 
K^te.     "A  long  night's  sleep  will  freshen  you, 


62  A   LITTLE    COUNTKY    GIRL. 

and  the  world  will  look  differently  and  a  great 
deal  pleasanter  to-morrow. " 

Candace  was  glad  to  follow  this  counsel. 
She  was  tired,  and  she  felt  shy  of  Mr.  Gray 
and  the  girls,  and  would  rather  put  off  meet- 
ing them  again,  she  thought,  till  the  morning. 
Ten  hours  of  unbroken  sleep  rested  her  thor- 
oughly, but  she  woke  with  a  feeling  of  puz- 
zled surprise  at  her  surroundings,  and  for  a 
few  moments  could  not  gather  up  her  thoughts 
or  quite  recollect  where  she  was.  Then  it 
all  came  back  to  her,  and  she  was  again  con- 
scious of  the  uncomfortable  sensations  of  the 
night  before. 

She  lay  a  little  while  thinking  about  it,  and 
half  wishing  that  she  need  not  get  up  at  all 
but  just  burrow  under  the  blanket  and  hide 
herself,  like  a  mouse  or  rabbit  in  his  downy 
hole,  till  everybody  had  forgotten  her  blun- 
ders, and  till  she  herself  could  forget  them. 
But  she  said  to  herself  bravely  :  "  I  wron't  be 
foolish.  Cousin  Kate  is  just  lovely ;  she  \% 
promised  to  help  me,  and  I  'm  sure  she  will. 
I  will  try   not  to  mind  the  others;   but,  ob. 


A   WALK    ON    THE    CLIFFS.  63 

dear !  I  wish  I  were  not  so  afraid  of  the 
girls." 

She  jumped  out  of  bed  resolutely  and  be- 
gan to  dress,  taking  her  time  about  it,  and 
stealing  many  glances  out  of  the  open  win- 
dow ;  for  she  knew  it  must  be  early,  and  as 
yet  there  were  no  sounds  of  life  about  the 
house.  After  her  hair  was  curled,  she  stood 
for  some  time  at  the  door  of  the  closet, 
debating  what  dress  she  should  put  on. 

The  choice  was  limited.  There  were  only 
a  brown  plaided  gingham,  a  blue  calico,  and 
a  thick  white  cambric  to  choose  from.  The 
latter  seemed  to  her  almost  too  nice  to  be 
worn  in  the  morning.  It  was  the  first  white 
dress  she  had  ever  been  allowed  to  have,  and 
Aunt  Myra  had  said  a  good  deal  about  the 
difficulty  of  getting  it  done  up ;  so  it  seemed 
to  Candace  rather  a  sacred  garment,  which 
should  be  reserved  for  special  state  occasions. 

After  hesitating  awhile  she  put  on  the 
brown  gingham.  It  had  a  little  ruffle  basted 
round  the  neck.  Candace  tried  the  effect  of 
a  large  blue  bow,  and  then  of  a  muslin  one, 


64  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

very  broad,  with  worked  ends ;  but  neither 
pleased  her  exactly.  She  recollected  that 
Georgie  and  Gertrude  had  worn  simple  little 
ruches  the  night  before,  with  no  bows  ;  and  at 
last  she  wisely  decided  to  fasten  her  ruffle 
with  the  little  bar  of  silver  which  was  her 
sole  possession  by  way  of  ornament,  for  her 
mother's  few  trinkets  had  all  been  sold  dur- 
ing her  father's  long  illness.  This  pin  had 
been  a  present  from  the  worldly-minded 
Mrs.  Buell,  who  so  often  furnished  a  text  to 
Aunt  Myra's  homilies.  She  had  one  day 
heard  Cannie  say,  when  asked  by  one  of  the 
Buell  daughters  if  she  had  any  jewelry, 
a  Are  napkin-rings  jewrelry  ?  I  've  got  a 
napkin-ring."  Mrs.  Buell  had  laughed  at 
the  droll  little  speech,  and  repeated  it  as  a 
good  joke  ;  but  the  next  time  she  went  to 
Hartford  she  bought  the  silver  pin  for  Can- 
nie, who  was  delighted,  and  held  it  as  her 
choicest   possession. 

Her  dressing  finished,  Candace  went  softly 
downstairs.  She  paused  at  the  staircase 
window   to  look  out.     Cousin   Kate's  storm 


A   WALK    ON    THE    CLIFFS.  65 

had  not  come  after  all.  The  day  was  bril- 
liantly fair.  Long  fingers  of  sunshine  were 
feeling  their  way  through  the  tree-branches, 
seeking  out  shady  corners  and  giving  caress- 
ing touches  to  all  growing  things.  A  book  lay 
on  the  window-bench.  It  was  "  A  York  and 
a  Lancaster  Rose/'  which  little  Marian  had 
been  reading  the  night  before.  It  looked 
interesting,  and,  seeing  by  a  glance  at  the 
tall  clock  in  the  hall  below  that  it  was  but 
a  little  after  seven,  Candace  settled  herself 
for  a  long,  comfortable  reading  before  break- 
fast. 

Mrs.  Gray  was  the  first  of  the  family  to 
appear.  She  swept  rapidly  downstairs  in 
her  pretty  morning  wrapper  of  pale  pink, 
with  a  small  muslin  cap  trimmed  with  ribbons 
of  the  same  shade  on  her  glossy  black  hair, 
and  paused  to  give  Cannie  a  rapid  little  kiss ; 
but  she  looked  preoccupied,  and  paid  no 
further  attention  to  her,  beyond  a  kind  word 
or  two,  till  breakfast  was  over,  the  orders  for 
the  day  given,  half  a  dozen  notes  answered, 
and  half  a  dozen  persons    seen    on  business. 


66  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

The  girls  seemed  equally  busy.  Each  had 
her  own  special  little  task  to  do.  Georgie 
looked  over  the  book-tables  and  writing- 
tables  ;  sorted,  tidied,  put  away  the  old  news- 
papers; made  sure  that  there  was  ink  in  the 
inkstands  and  pens  and  paper  in  plenty. 
After  this  was  done,  she  set  to  work  to  water 
the  plant  boxes  and  stands  in  the  hall  and  on 
the  piazza.  Gertrude  fell  upon  a  large  box  of 
freshly  cut  flowers,  and  began  to  arrange  them 
in  various  bowls  and  vases.  Little  Marian 
had  three  cages  of  birds  to  attend  to,  which, 
as  she  was  very  particular  about  their  baths 
and  behavior,  took  a  long  time.  Candace 
alone  had  nothing  to  do,  and  sat  by,  feeling 
idle  and  left  out  among  the  rest. 

"  I  think  I  shall  put  you  in  charge  of  the 
piazza  boxes,"  said  Mrs.  Gray,  noticing  her 
forlorn  look  as  she  came  back  from  her  inter- 
view with  the  fishmonger.  "  See,  Cannie,  the 
watering-pot  is  kept  here,  and  the  faucet  of 
cold  water  is  just  there  in  the  pantry.  Would 
you  like  to  take  them  as  a  little  bit  of  daily 
iregular  work  ?     They  must  be  sprinkled  every 


A   WALK    OK    THE    CLIFFS.  67 

morning;  and  if  the  earth  is  dry  they  must 
be  thoroughly  watered,  and  all  the  seed-pods 
and  yellow  leaves  and  dead  flowers  must  be 
picked  off.  Do  you  feel  as  if  you  could  do 
it?" 

"  Oh,  I  should  like  to,"  said  Cannie,  bright- 
ening. 

"  Very  well.  Georgie  has  plenty  to  attend 
to  without  them,  I  imagine.  She  will  be 
glad  to  be  helped.  Georgie,  Cannie  has 
agreed  to  take  the  care  of  all  the  outside 
flower-boxes  in  future.  You  need  n't  have 
them  on  your  mind  any  more." 

"  That 's  nice,"  said  Georgie,  good-naturedly. 
"  Then  I  will  look  after  the  plants  on  your 
balcony,  mamma.  Elizabeth  does  n't  half  see 
to  them." 

"  Oh,  might  n't  I  do  those  too  ?  "  urged 
Cannie.     "  I  wish  you  would  let  me." 

"  Well,  you  can  if  you  like.  They  are  all 
watered  for  to-day,  though.  You  need  n't 
begin  till  to-morrow." 

"  That  is  just  as  well,"  said  Mrs.  Gray ;  "  for 
now  that  I  am  through  with  the  orders  and 


68  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

the  tradesmen,  I  want  Cannie  to  come  up  to 
the  morning-room  for  a  consultation.  Georgie, 
you  may  come  too.  It  's  about  your  hair, 
Cannie.  Those  thick  curls  are  very  pretty, 
but  they  look  a  trifle  old-fashioned,  and  I 
should  think  must  be  rather  hot,  like  a  little 
warm  shawl  always  on  your  shoulders  all 
summer  long."  She  stroked  the  curls  with 
her  soft  hand,  as  she  spoke.  "  Should  you 
dislike  to  have  them  knotted  up,  Cannie  ? 
You  are  quite  old  enough,  I  think." 

"  No,  I  should  n't  dislike  it,  but  I  don't 
know  how  to  do  my  hair  in  any  other  way. 
I  have  always  worn  it  like  this." 

"  We  '11  teach  you,"  cried  Georgie  and 
Gertrude,  who  had  joined  them  while  her 
mother  was  speaking.  "Let  us  have  a  '  Coun- 
cil of  Three'  in  the  morning-room,  and  see 
what  is  most  becoming  to  her." 

So  upstairs  they  went,  and  the  girls  pounced 
on  Cannie,  and  put  a  towel  over  her  shoulders, 
and  brushed  out  her  curls,  and  tried  this  way 
and  that,  while  Mrs.  Gray  sat  by  and  laughed. 
She  would  not  interfere,  —  though  Cannie  at 


A    WALK    ON   THE    CLIFFS.  69 

times  resisted,  and  declared  that  they  were 
pulling  her  hair  and  hurting  her  dreadfully,  — 
for  she  was  anxious  that  the  cousins  should 
grow  intimate  and  familiar  with  each  other. 
In  fact,  Cannie's  shyness  was  quite  shaken 
out  of  her  for  the  moment ;  and  before  the 
experiments  were  ended,  and  it  was  decided 
that  a  little  bang  on  the  forehead,  and  what 
Marian  called  a  "  curly  knot"  behind,  suited 
her  best,  she  felt  almost  at  home  with  Georgie 
and  Gertrude. 

"There,"  said  Georgie,  sticking  in  a  last 
hair-pin,  "  come  and  see  yourself;  and  if  you 
don't  confess  that  you  are  improved,  you  're 
a  Yery  ungrateful  young  person,  and  that  is 
all  I  have  to  say." 

Candace  scarcely  knew  her  own  face  when 
she  was  led  up  to  the  looking-glass.  The 
light  rings  of  hair  lay  very  prettily  on  the 
forehead,  the  "  curly  knot "  showed  the  shape 
of  the  small  head  ;  it  all  looked  easy  and 
natural,  and  as  if  it  was  meant  to  be  so.  She 
smiled  involuntarily.  The  girl  in  the  glass 
smiled  back. 


70  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

«  Why,  I  look  exactly  like  somebody  else 
and  not  a  bit  like  myself/'  she  cried.  "  What 
would  Aunt  Myra  say  to  me  ?  " 

"  I  am  going  out  to  do  some  errands/'  said 
Mrs.  Gray ;  "  will  you  come  along,  Cannie, 
and  have  a  little  drive  ?  " 

Mrs.  Gray's  errands  seemed  to  be  princi- 
pally on  behalf  of  her  young  companion. 
First  they  stopped  at  Seabury's,  and  after  Mrs. 
Gray  had  selected  a  pair  of  "  Newport  ties  " 
for  herself,  she  ordered  a  similar  pair  for  Can- 
dace.  Then  she  said  that  while  Cannie's  shoe 
was  off  she  might  as  well  try  on  some  boots, 
and  Cannie  found  herself  being  fitted  with  a 
slender,  shapely  pair  of  black  kid,  which  were 
not  only  prettier  but  more  comfortable  than 
the  country-made  ones  which  had  made  her 
foot  look  so  clumsy.  After  that  they  stopped 
at  a  carpet  and  curtain  place,  wrhere  Cannie 
was  much  diverted  at  hearing  the  proprietor 
recommend  tassels  instead  of  plated  rings  on 
certain  Holland  shades,  for  the  reason  that 
"  a  tossel  had  more  poetry  about  it  some- 
how."    Then,   after  a   brief  pause    to  order 


A   WALK    ON    THE    CLIFFS.  71 

strawberries   and   fresh   lettuce,  the  carriage 
was  ordered  to  a  milliner's. 

"  I  want  to  get  you  a  little  hat  of  some 
sort/'  said  Cousin  Kate.  "  The  one  you  wore 
yesterday  is  rather  old  for  a  girl  of  your  age. 
I  will  retrim  it  some  day,  and  it  will  do  for 
picnics  and  sails,  but  you  need  more  hats 
than  one  in  this  climate,  which  is  fatal  to 
ribbons  and  feathers,  and  takes  the  stiff- 
ness out  of  everything." 

So  a  big,  shady  hat  of  dark  red  straw,  with 
just  a  scarf  of  the  same  color  twisted  round 
the  crown  and  a  knowing  little  wing  in  front, 
was  chosen ;  and  then  Mrs.  Gray  spied  a 
smaller  one  of  fine  yellowish  straw  with  a 
wreath  of  brown-centred  daisies,  and  having 
popped  it  on  Cannie's  head  for  one  moment, 
liked  the  effect,  and  ordered  that  too.  Two 
new  hats !  It  seemed  to  Cannie's  modest 
ideas  like  the  wildest  extravagance ;  and  after 
they  returned  to  the  coup£  she  found  courage 
to  say,  — 

"  Cousin  Kate,  please,  you  must  n't  buy 
me  too  many  things." 


72  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

"No,  dear,  I  won't.  I  '11  be  careful/'  re- 
plied Mrs.  Gray,  smiling.  Then,  seeing  that 
Cannie  was  in  earnest,  she  added,  more  seri- 
ously :  "  My  child,  I  've  no  wish  to  make  you 
fine.  I  don't  like  finery  for  young  girls ;  but 
one  needs  a  good  many  things  in  a  place  like 
this,  and  I  want  to  have  you  properly  dressed 
in  a  simple  way.  It  was  agreed  upon  between 
Aunt  Myra  and  myself  that  I  should  see  to 
your  summer  wardrobe  after  you  got  here, 
because  Newport  is  a  better  shopping-place 
than  North  Tolland  ;  and  while  we  are  about 
it,  we  may  as  well  get  pretty  things  as  ugly 
ones.  It  does  n't  cost  any  more  and '  is  no 
more  trouble,  and  I  am  sure  you  like  them 
better,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed,"  replied  Cannie,  quite 
relieved  by  this  explanation.  "  I  like  pretty 
things  ever  so  much  —  only  —  I  thought  —  I 
was  afraid  —  "  She  did  not  know  how  to 
finish  her  sentence. 

"  You  were  afraid  I  was  ruining  myself," 
asked  her  cousin,  looking  amused.  u  No,  Can- 
nie, I  won't  do  that,  I  promise  you ;  and  in 


The  Old  Stone  Mill. 
It  was  a  roofless  circular  tower,  supported  on  round  arches.  —  Page  73. 


A   WALK   ON    THE    CLIFFS.  73 

return,  you  will  please  let  me  just  settle 
about  a  few  little  necessary  things  for  you, 
just  as  I  should  for  Georgie  and  Gertrude, 
and  say  no  more  about  it.  Ah  !  there  is  the 
old  Mill ;  you  will  like  to  see  that.  Stop  a 
moment,  John." 

The  coupe  stopped  accordingly  by  a  small 
open  square,  planted  with  grass  and  a  few 
trees,  and  intersected  with  paths.  There  was 
a  music-stand  in  the  centre,  a  statue  on  a 
pedestal ;  and  close  by  them,  rising  from  the 
greensward,  appeared  a  small,  curious  struc- 
ture of  stone.  It  was  a  roofless  circular 
tower,  supported  on  round  arches,  which 
made  a  series  of  openings  about  its  base. 
Cannie  had  never  heard  of  the  Stone  Mill 
before,  and  she  listened  eagerly  while  Mrs. 
Gray  explained  that  it  had  stood  there  since 
the  earliest  days  of  the  Colony ;  that  no  one 
knew  exactly  how  old  it  was,  who  built  it, 
or  for  what  purpose  it  was  built;  and  that 
antiquarians  were  at  variance  upon  these 
points,  and  had  made  all  sorts  of  guesses 
about  its  origin.     Some  insisted  that  it  was 


74  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

erected  by  the  Norsemen,  who  were  the  first 
to  discover  the  New  England  shores,  long  be- 
fore the  days  of  Columbus ;  others  supposed 
it  to  be  a  fragment  of  an  ancient  church. 
Others  again  —  and  Mrs.  Gray  supposed  that 
these  last  were  probably  nearest  the  truth  — 
insisted  that  it  was  just  what  it  seemed  to  be, 
a  mill  for  grinding  corn ;  and  pointed  out  the 
fact  that  mills  of  very  much  the  same  shape 
still  exist  in  old  country  neighborhoods  in 
England.  She  also  told  Cannie  that  the  mill 
used  to  be  thickly  overhung  with  ivies  and 
Virginia  creepers,  and  that  it  had  never  been 
so  pretty  and  picturesque  since  the  town  au- 
thorities, under  a  mistaken  apprehension  that 
the  roots  of  the  vines  were  injuring  the  ma- 
sonry, had  torn  them  all  away  and  left  the 
ruin  bare  and  unornamented,  as  she  now 
saw  it. 

"Did  you  never  read  Longfellow's  6 Skeleton 
in  Armor'  ? "  she  asked ;  and  when  Cannie  said 
no,  she  repeated  part  of  the  poem,  and  prom- 
ised to  find  the  rest  for  Cannie  to  read  when 
they  got  home.     Then  they  drove  on ;   and 


A    WALK    ON   THE    CLIFFS.  75 

Cannie's  head  was  so  full  of  "  Lief  the  son  of 
Arnulf,"  the  "fearful  guest/'  and  the  maiden 
whose  heart  under  her  loosened  vest  fluttered 
like  doves  "  in  their  nest  frighted/'  that  she 
could  hardly  bring  herself  back  to  real  life, 
even  when  Cousin  Kate  stopped  at  a  famous 
dress-furnisher's  in  the  Casino  Block,  and 
caused  her  to  be  measured  for  two  dresses. 
One  was  of  white  woollen  stuff,  like  those 
which  Georgie  and  Gertrude  had  worn  the 
night  before;  the  other,  a  darker  one,  of 
cream-and-brown  foulard,  which  Mrs.  Gray 
explained  would  be  nice  for  church  and  for 
driving  and  for  cool  days,  of  which  there  were 
always  plenty  in  the  Newport  summer.  She 
also  bought  a  little  brown  parasol  for  Cannie, 
and  a  tightly  fitting  brown  jacket  to  match 
the  foulard ;  and  altogether  it  was  a  most  ex- 
citing and  adventurous  morning.  Cannie,  as 
she  took  off  her  hat  at  home  and  fluffed  the 
newly  constructed  "  bang "  into  shape  with 
gentle  finger-touches,  asked  herself  if  it  could 
be  really  only  a  day  and  a  half  since  she  said 
good-by  to  Aunt  Myra  in  North  Tolland  ;  and 


76  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

if  in  fact  it  were  really  herself,  little  Candace 
Arden,  to  whom  these  wonderful  things  be- 
longed, or  was  it  some  one  else  ?  Perhaps  it 
was  all  a  dream,  and  she  should  presently 
wake  up.  "  If  it  be  I,  as  I  believe  it  be/'  was 
the  tenor  of  her  thought,  as  of  the  old  woman 
in  the  nursery  rhyme ;  only  Cannie  had  no 
little  dog  at  hand  to  help  her  to  a  realization 
of  her  own  identity. 

Into  Candace's  bare  little  cradle  in  the  hill 
country  had  been  dropped  one  precious  en- 
dowment. From  both  her  father  and  her 
mother  she  inherited  the  love  of  reading.  If 
old  tales  were  true,  and  the  gift-conferring 
fairies  really  came  to  stand  round  a  baby's 
bed,  each  with  a  present  in  her  hand,  I  think 
out  of  all  that  they  could  bestow  I  should 
choose  for  any  child  in  whom  I  was  interested, 
these  two  things,  —  a  quick  sense  of  humor 
and  a  love  for  books.  There  is  nothing  so 
lasting  or  so  satisfying.  Riches  may  take 
wing,  beauty  fade,  grace  vanish  into  fat,  a 
sweet  voice  become  harsh,  rheumatism  may 
cripple  the  fingers  which  played  or  painted  so 


A    WALK    ON    THE    CLIFFS.  77 

deftly,  —  with  each  and  all  of  these  delightful 
things  time  may  play  sad  tricks ;  but  to  life's 
end  the  power  to  see  the  droll  side  of 
events  is  an  unfailing  cheer,  and  so  long  as 
eyes  and  ears  last,  books  furnish  a  world  of 
interest  and  escape  whose  doors  stand  always 
open.  Winds  may  blow  and  skies  may  rain, 
fortune  may  prove  unkind,  days  may  be  lonely 
and  evenings  dull ;  but  for  the  true  lover  of 
reading  there  is  always  at  hand  this  great 
company  of  companions  and  friends,  —  the 
wisest,  the  gentlest,  the  best,  —  never  too 
tired  or  too  busy  to  talk  with  him,  ready  at 
all  moments  to  give  their  thought,  their  teach- 
ing, to  help,  instruct,  and  entertain.  They 
never  disappoint,  they  have  no  moods  or  tem- 
pers, they  are  always  at  home,  —  in  all  of 
wThich  respects  they  differ  from  the  rest  of 
our  acquaintance.  If  the  man  who  invented 
sleep  is  to  be  blessed,  thrice  blessed  be  the 
man  who  invented  printing ! 

There  were  not  many  books  in  the  old 
yellow  farm-house  at  North  Tolland ;  but  all 
that  there  were  Cannie   had   read  over  and 


78  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

over  again.  Shakspeare  she  knew  by  heart, 
'and  "  Paradise  Lost/'  and  Young's  "  Night 
Thoughts,"  and  Pollock's  "  Course  of  Time." 
She  had  dipped  into  her  dead  father's  theo- 
logical library,  and  managed  to  extract  some 
food  for  her  imagination,  even  from  such  dry 
bones  as  "Paley's  Evidences  "  and  "  Edwards 
on  the  Will  and  the  Affections."  Any  book 
was  better  than  no  book  to  her.  Aunt  Myra, 
who  discouraged  the  practice  of  reading  for 
girls  as  unfitting  them  for  any  sort  of  useful 
work,  used  to  declare  that  the  very  sight  of  a 
book  made  Cannie  deaf  and  blind  and  dumb. 

"You  might  as  well  be  Laura  what's-her- 
name  and  have  done  with  it,"  she  would  tell 
her;  u  only  I  don't  know  where  to  look  for 
a  Dr.  Howe  or  a  Dr.  anybody,  who  will 
come  along  and  teach  you  to  develop  your 
faculties.  I  declare,  I  believe  you'd  rather 
read  a  dictionary  any  day  than  not  read 
at  all." 

UI  don't  know  but  I  would,"  said  Cannie; 
but  she  said  it  to  herself.  She  was  rather 
afraid  of  Aunt  Myra. 


A   WALK    ON   THE    CLIFFS.  79 

With  this  strong  love  of  reading,  the  girl's 
delight  may  be  imagined  when  Mrs.  Gray, 
true  to  her  promise,  put  into  her  hands  a 
great  illustrated  volume  of  Longfellow,  and 
left  her  free  to  dip  and  select  and  read  as 
long  as  she  chose.  She  curled  herself  up  on 
the  staircase  bench,  and  was  soon  so  deep  in 
"The  Skeleton  in  Armor"  as  to  be  quite 
oblivious  to  all  that  went  on  below.  She 
did  not  hear  the  bell  ring,  she  did  not  see 
various  ladies  shown  into  the  drawing-room, 
or  notice  the  hum  of  conversation  that  fol- 
lowed. She  never  lifted  her  eyes  when 
Georgie  Gray  and  a  friend,  who  was  no  other 
than  the  identical  Miss  Joy  of  the  "Eolus," 
stood  at  the  staircase  foot  for  some  moments 
and  held  a  whispered  conversation ;  nor  was 
she  conscious  of  the  side  glances  which  the 
visitor  now  and  then  cast  up  toward  the 
brown  gingham  skirt  visible  above.  It  was 
not  till 

"  Skoal!  to  the  Northland  !  skoal! " 

ended  the  poem,  that  her  dream  ended,  and 
she  roused  herself  to  find  the  callers  gone 
and  luncheon  on  the  table. 


80  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

Mrs.  Gray  was  wont  to  say  that  they  always 
had  a  meal  at  noon  and  a  meal  at  night; 
and  when  her  husband  was  at  home,  the 
first  was  called  lunch  and  the  second  dinner, 
and  when  he  was  away  the  first  was  called 
dinner  and  the  second  supper ;  and  that  the 
principal  difference  between  them  wTas  that 
at  one  there  wTas  soup  and  at  the  other 
there  was  not.  Candace  did  not  particularly 
care  what  the  meal  was  called.  Under  any 
name  she  was  glad  of  it,  for  sea-air  and  a 
morning  drive  had  made  her  very  hungry; 
and  this  time  she  was  on  her  guard,  watched 
carefully  what  others  did,  and  made  no  seri- 
ous blunders. 

"  What  are  you  girls  going  to  do  this  after- 
noon?" asked  Mrs.  Gray. 

"  Berry  Joy  has  asked  me  to  drive  with 
her,"  replied  Georgie ;  "  she  wants  to  take 
her  friend  over  to  the  Fort  to  hear  the  band 
play.  You  have  no  objection,  have  you, 
mamma  ?  " 

"  No ;  none  at  all.     And  you,  Gertrude  ?  " 

"  I  have  n't  made  any  particular  plan." 


A   WALK   ON    THE    CLIFFS.  81 

*■  Then  suppose  you  and  Candace  take  a 
walk  on  the  Cliffs.  I  have  to  take  Marian  to 
the  dentist ;  but  Cannie  has  not  seen  the  sea 
yet,  except  at  a  distance,  and  you  both  ought 
to  have  a  good  exercise  in  the  fresh  air,  for 
I  am  almost  sure  it  will  rain  by  to-morrow. 
You  might  take  her  to  the  beach,  Gertrude, 
and  come  home  by  Marine  Avenue." 

"  Very  well,  mamma  ; .  I  will,  certainly,"  said 
Gertrude.  But  there  was  a  lack  of  heartiness 
in  her  tone.  Like  most  very  young  girls  she 
had  a  strong  sense  of  the  observant  eyes  of 
Mrs.  Grundy,  and  she  did  not  at  all  approve 
of  the  brown  gingham.  "I  wonder  why 
mamma  can't  wait  till  she  has  made  Cannie 
look  like  other  people/'  she  was  saying  to 
herself. 

There  was  no  help  for  it,  however.  None 
of  Mrs.  Gray's  children  ever  thought  of  dis- 
puting her  arrangements  for  a  moment;  so 
the  two  girls  set  forth,  Cannie  in  the  despised 
gingham,  and  Gertrude  in  a  closely  fitting 
suit  of  blue  serge,  with  a  large  hat  of  the 
same  blue,  which  stood  out  like  a  frame  round 

6 


82  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

the  delicate  oval  of  her  face,  and  set  off  the 
feathery  light  hair  to  perfection. 

Their  way  for  a  little  distance  was  down  a 
sort  of  country  lane,  which  was  the  short  cut 
to  the  Cliffs.  It  ended  in  a  smooth  green- 
sward at  the  top  of  a  wall  of  broken  rocks ; 
and,  standing  on  the  edge,  Cannie  called  out, 
€<  Oh !  "  with  a  sense  of  sudden  surprise  and 
freedom. 

Before  her  was  a  bay  of  the  softest  blue, 
with  here  and  there  a  line  of  white  surf, 
where  long  rollers  were  sweeping  in  toward 
the  distant  beach.  Opposite,  stretched  a 
point  of  land  rising  into  a  low  hill,  which 
shone  in  the  yellow  afternoon  sun ;  and  from 
its  end  the  unbroken  sea  stretched  away  into 
a  lovely  distance,  whose  color  was  like  that 
of  an  opal,  and  which  had  no  boundary  but 
4  mysterious  dim  line  of  faintly  tinted  sky. 
Sails  shone  against  the  moving  water ;  gulls 
were  dipping  and  diving;  a  flock  of  wild- 
ducks  with  glossy  black  heads  swam  a  little 
w&y  out  from  the  shore.  Beyond  the  point 
which  made  the  other  arm  of  the  little  bay 


A   WALK   ON   THE    CLIFFS.  83 

rose  an  island,  ramparted  by  rocks,  over  which 
the  surf  could  be  seen  to  break  with  an  oc- 
casional toss  of  spray.  There  was  a  delicious 
smell  of  soft  salty  freshness,  and  something 
besides,  —  a  kind  of  perfume  which  Candace 
could  not  understand  or  name. 

"  Oh,  what  is  it ;  what  can  it  be  ?  "  she  said. 

"What?" 

"  The  smell.  It  is  like  flowers.  Oh,  there 
it  is  again  !  " 

"  Mamma  makes  believe  that  it  is  the 
Spice  Islands,"  answered  Gertrude,  indiffer- 
ently, "  or  else  Madeira.  You  know  there 
is  nothing  between  us  and  the  coast  of  Africa 
except  islands." 

"  Eeally  and  truly  ?     How  wonderful ! " 

"  Well,  I  don't  see  how  it  is  so  very  won- 
derful. It  just  happens  so.  I  suppose  there 
are  plenty  of  sea-side  places  where  they  can 
say  the  same  thing." 

"Perhaps,  —  but  I  never  saw  any  sea-coast 
but  this.     It  is  all  new  to  me." 

"I  suppose  so,"  responded  Gertrude,  with 
a  little  yawn.     She  looked  to  right  and  to 


84  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

left,  fearing  that  some  acquaintance  might  be 
coming  to  see  her  in  company  with  this  rather 
shabby  little  companion.  "  Would  you  like 
to  walk  up  the  Cliffs  a  little  way,  or  shall  we 
go  down  to  the  beach  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Oh,  let  us  just  go  as  far  as  that  point," 
said  Candace,  indicating  where,  to  the  right, 
past  a  turnstile,  a  smooth  gravel  path  wound 
its  way  between  the  beautifully  kept  borders 
of  grass.  The  path  ran  on  the  very  edge  of 
the  Cliff,  and  the  outer  turf  dipped  at  a  steep 
incline  to  where  the  sharp  rock  ran  down  per- 
pendicularly, but  to  the  very  verge  it  was 
as  fine  and  as  perfectly  cut  as  anywhere  else. 
Candace  wondered  who  held  the  gardeners  and 
kept  them  safe  while  they  shaved  the  grass 
so  smoothly  in  this  dangerous  spot,  but  she 
did  not  like  to  ask.  Gertrude's  indifferent 
manner  drove  her  in  upon  herself  and  made 
her  shy. 

A  hundred  feet  and  more  below  them  the 
sea  was  washing  into  innumerable  rocky  fis- 
sures with  a  hollow  booming  sound.  The 
cliff-line  was   broken   into  all   sorts  of  bold 


A   WALK    ON    THE    CLIFFS.  85 

forms, — buttresses  and  parapets  and  sharp 
inclines,  with  here  and  there  a  shallow  cave 
or  a  bit  of  shingly  beach.  Every  moment 
the  color  of  the  water  seemed  to  change,  and 
the  soft  duns  and  purples  of  the  horizon  line 
to  grow  more  intense.  Candace  had  no  eyes 
but  for  the  sea.  She  scarcely  noticed  the 
handsome  houses  on  her  right  hand,  each 
standing  in  its  wide  lawn,  with  shrubberies 
and  beds  of  dazzling  flowers.  Gertrude,  on 
the  contrary,  scarcely  looked  at  the  sea.  It 
was  an  old  story  to  her ;  and  she  was  much 
more  interested  in  trying  to  make  out  peo- 
ple she  knew  at  the  windows  of  the  houses 
they  passed,  or  on  their  piazzas,  and  in  spec- 
ulating about  the  carriages  which  could  be 
seen  moving  on  the  distant  road. 

"  How  good  it  is  of  the  people  who  own  the 
places  to  let  everybody  go  through  them !  " 
exclaimed  Candace,  when  it  was  explained  to 
her  that  the  Cliff  walk  was  a  public  one. 

"  Oh,  they  can't  help  themselves.  There 
is  a  right  of  way  all  round  the  Island,  and 
nobody  would  be  allowed  to  close  it.     Some 


86  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

owners  grumble  and  don't  like  it  a  bit ;  but 
mamma  says  it  is  one  of  the  best  things  in 
Newport,  and  that  it  would  be  a  great  injury 
to  the  place  to  have  it  taken  away.  The  Cliff 
walk  is  very  celebrated,  you  know.  Lots  of 
people  have  written  things  about  it." 

"  Oh,  I  should  think  they  would.  It  is  the 
most  beautiful  place  I  ever  saw." 

"  You  have  n't  seen  many  places,  have 
you  ?  "  observed  Gertrude,  rather  impolitely. 

"  Oh  no,  I  never  saw  anything  but  North 
Tolland  till  I  came  to  Newport." 

"  Then  you  can't  judge." 

They  had  now  turned,  and  were  walking 
eastward  toward  the  beach.  Its  line  of  break- 
ing surf  could  be  distinctly  seen  now.  Car- 
riages and  people  on  horseback  were  driving 
or  riding  along  the  sands,  and  groups  of  black 
dots  were  discernible,  which  were  other  people 
on  foot. 

"  There  is  Pulpit  Rock,"  said  Gertrude, 
stopping  where  a  shelving  path  slanted  down 
toward  a  great  square  mass  of  stone,  which 
was    surrounded    on   three    sides   by   water. 


A   WALK   ON    THE    CLIFFS.  87 

*•  Would  you  like  to  go  down  and  sit  on  top 
for  a  little  while  ?     I  am  rather  tired." 

"  Oh,  I  should  like  to  so  much." 

Down  they  scrambled  accordingly,  and  in 
another  moment  were  on  top  of  the  big  rock. 
It  was  almost  as  good  as  being  at  sea;  for 
when  they  turned  their  backs  to  the  shore 
nothing  could  be  seen  but  water  and  sails  and 
flying  birds,  and  nothing  heard  but  the  inces- 
sant plash  and  dash  of  the  waves  below. 

"  Oh,  how  perfectly  splendid  !  "  cried  Can- 
nie.  "  I  should  think  you  would  come  here 
every  day,  Gertrude." 

"  Yes,  that  's  what  people  always  say  when 
they  first  come,"  said  the  experienced  Ger- 
trude. "But  I  assure  you  we  don't  come 
every  day,  and  we  don't  want  to.  Why,  some- 
times last  summer  I  did  n't  see  the  Cliffs  for 
weeks  and  weeks  together.  It 's  nice  enough 
now  when  there  are  not  many  people  here  ; 
but  after  the  season  begins  and  the  crowd,  it 
is  n't  nice  at  all.  You  see  all  sorts  of  people 
that  you  don't  know,  and  —  and  —  well  —  it 
is  n't  pleasant." 


88  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

"I  can't  think  what  you  mean/'  declared 
Cannie,  opening  her  eyes  with  amazement. 
"I  'd  just  as  soon  there  were  twenty  people 
on  this  rock,  if  I  need  n't  look  at  them  and 
they  did  n't  talk  to  me.  The  sea  would  be 
just  the  same." 

"  You  '11  feel  differently  when  you  've  been 
in  Newport  awhile.  It 's  not  at  all  the  fashion 
to  walk  on  the  Cliffs  now  except  on  Sunday, 
and  not  at  this  end  of  them  even  then.  A 
great  many  people  won't  bathe,  either, —  they 
say  it  has  grown  so  common.  Why,  it  used 
to  be  the  thing  to  walk  down  here,  —  all  the 
nicest  people  did  it ;  and  now  you  never  see 
anybody  below  Narragansett  Avenue  except 
ladies'-maids  and  butlers,  and  people  who  are 
boarding  at  the  hotels  and  don't  know  any 
better." 

66  How  funny  it  seems  ! "  remarked  Candace, 
half  to  herself,  with  her  eyes  on  the  distance, 
which  was  rapidly  closing  in  with  mist. 

"  What  is  fanny  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  was  —  I  was  only  thinking  how 
funny  it  is  that  there  should   be  a  fashion 


A   WALK    ON    THE    CLIFFS.  89 

about  coming  down  to  such  a  beautiful  place 
as  this." 

"  I  don't  see  how  it  is  funny." 

"  Yes/'  persisted  Candace,  who,  for  all  her 
shyness,  had  ideas  and  opinions  of  her  own  ; 
"  because  the  Cliffs  are  so  old  and  have  always 
been  here,  and  I  suppose  some  of  the  people 
who  make  it  the  fashion  not  to  walk  upon 
them  have  only  just  come  to  Newport." 

"  I  really  think  you  are  the  queerest  girl  I 
ever  saw,"  said  Gertrude. 

A  long  silence  ensued.  Each  of  the  two  girls 
was  thinking  her  own  thoughts.  The  thicken- 
ing on  the  horizon  meanwhile  was  increasing. 
Thin  films  of  vapor  began  to  blow  across  the 
sky.  The  wind  stirred  and  grew  chill ;  the  surf 
on  the  beach  broke  with  a  low  roar  which  had 
a  menacing  sound.  Suddenly  a  wall  of  mist 
rose  and  rolled  rapidly  inland,  blotting  out  all 
the  blue  and  the  smile  of  sky  and  sea. 

"  Gracious  !  here  's  the  fog,"  cried  Gertrude, 
"  and  I  do  believe  it  's  going  to  rain.  We 
must  hurry  home.  I  rather  think  mamma's 
storm  is  coming,  after  all." 


90  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  MANUAL  OF  PERFECT  GENTILITY. 

IRS.  GRAY'S  storm  had  indeed  come. 

All  the  next  day  it  rained,  and  the 

day  after  it  rained  harder,  and  on 

the  third  day  came  a  thick  fog ;  so 

it  was  not  till  the  very  end  of  the  week  that 

Newport  lay  again  in  clear  sunshine. 

The  first  of  the  wet  days  Cannie  spent 
happily  in  the  society  of  Miss  Evangeline 
and  Mr.  Hiawatha,  two  new  acquaintances 
of  whom  she  felt  that  she  could  scarcely  see 
enough.  Marian  found  her  sitting  absorbed 
on  the  staircase  bench,  and  after  peeping 
over  her  shoulder  at  the  pictures  for  a  while, 
begged  her  to  read  aloud.  It  was  the  first 
little  bit  of  familiar  acquaintance  which  any 
of  the  younger  members  of  the  Gray  family 
had  volunteered,  and  Candace  was  much 
pleased. 


THE    MANUAL    OF    PERFECT    GENTILITY.       91 

Marian  was  not  yet  quite  fourteen,  and 
was  still  very  much  of  a  child  at  heart  and 
in  her  ways.  Her  "  capable  "  little  face  did 
not  belie  her  character.  She  was  a  born 
housekeeper,  always  tidying  up  and  putting 
away  after  other  people.  Everything  she  at- 
tempted she  did  exactly  and  well.  She  was 
never  so  happy  as  when  she  was  allowed 
to  go  into  the  kitchen  to  make  molasses 
candy  or  try  her  hand  at  cake ;  and  her 
cake  was  almost  always  good,  and  her  candy 
"  pulled  "  to  admiration.  She  was  an  affec- 
tionate child,  with  a  quick  sense  of  fun,  and 
a  droll  little  coaxing  manner,  which  usually 
won  for  her  her  own  way,  especially  from  her 
father,  who  delighted  in  her  and  never  could 
resist  Marian's  saucy,  caressing  appeals.  It 
required  all  Mrs.  Gray's  firm,  judicious  disci- 
pline to  keep  her  from  being  spoiled. 

Georgie,  who  was  nearly  nineteen,  seemed 
younger  in  some  respects  than  Gertrude,  who 
was  but  three  months  older  than  Candace. 
Georgie,  too,  had  a  good  deal  of  the  house- 
keeper's instinct,  but  she  was  rather  dreamy 


92  A   LITTLE    COUNTKY    GIEL, 

and  puzzle-headed,  and  with  the  best  inten- 
tions in  the  world  was  often  led  into  scrapes 
and  difficulties  from  her  lack  of  self-reliance, 
and  the  easy  temper  which  enabled  any  one 
who  was  much  with  her  to  gain  an  influence 
over  her  mind. 

Gertrude  —  but  it  is  less  easy  to  tell  what 
Gertrude  was.  In  fact,  it  was  less  important 
just  then  to  find  out  what  she  was  than  what 
she  was  likely  to  be.  Gertrude  reminded  one 
of  an  unripe  fruit.  The  capacities  for  sweet- 
ness and  delightf ulness  were  there  within  her, 
but  all  in  a  crude,  undeveloped  state.  No 
one  could  predict  as  yet  whether  she  would 
ripen  and  become  mellow  and  pleasant  with 
time,  or  remain  always  half-hard  and  half- 
sour,  as  some  fruits  do.  Meanwhile  she  was 
the  prettiest  though  not  the  most  popular  of 
the  Gray  sisters,  and  she  ruled  over  Georgie's 
opinions  and  ideas  with  the  power  which  a 
stronger  and  more  selfish  character  always 
has  over  a  weaker  and  more  pliable  one. 

Marian  was  less  easily  influenced.  She  and 
Gertrude    often   came  into  collision ;    and  it 


THE    MANUAL    OF    PERFECT    GENTILITY.       93 

was  in  part  the  habit  of  disputing  Gertrude's 
mandates  which  led  her  to  seek  out  Candace 
on  that  rainy  afternoon.  In  the  privacy  of 
her  own  room  that  morning,  Gertrude  had 
made  some  very  unflattering  remarks  about 
their  newly  arrived  relative. 

"  It 's  really  quite  dreadful  to  have  a  girl 
like  that  come  to  spend  the  whole  summer 
with  one/'  she  said  to  Georgie.  "  She  has  n't 
a  bit  of  style,  and  her  clothes  are  so  queer 
and  old-timey ;  and  she  's  always  lived  up  on 
that  horrid  farm,  and  has  n't  an  idea  beyond 
it.  Everything  surprises  her  so,  and  she 
makes  such  a  fuss  over  it.  You  should  have 
heard  her  yesterday  when  we  were  out 
walking  ;  she  said  the  Cliffs  had  been  there 
always,  and  some  of  the  fashionable  people 
had  only  just  come." 

"  What  did  she  mean  ?  " 

u  I  'm  sure  I  don't  know.  She  says  the 
queerest  things.  And  she  looks  so  funny 
and  so  different  from  the  other  girls;  and  of 
course  everybody  will  know  that  she  is  our 
cousin." 


94  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

"  Mamma  has  ordered  her  some  dresses 
from  Hollander's,"  observed  Georgie ;  "  and 
that  was  a  real  pretty  hat  that  came  home 
last  night.'* 

"  I  don't  care.  They  won't  look  like  any- 
thing when  she  puts  them  on." 

"Gertrude  Gray,  I  think  it's  real  mean 
to  talk  so  about  your  own  cousin/'  cried 
Marian,  wTho,  with  the  instinct  of  a  true 
"  little  pitcher,"  had  heard  every  word.  "  Ifc 
isn't  Cannie's  fault  that  she  has  always 
lived  on  a  farm.  She  did  n't  have  anywhere 
else  to  live.  Very  likely  she  would  have 
preferred  Paris,"  with  fine  scorn,  "  or  to  go 
to  boarding-school  in  Dresden,  as  you  and 
Georgie  did,  if  anybody  had  given  her  the 
choice.  She  's  real  nice,  I  think,  and  now  that 
her  hair  is  put  up,  she  's  pretty  too,  —  a  great 
deal  prettier  than  some  of  the  girls  you  like. 
I'm  going  down  now  to  sit  with  her.  You 
and  Georgie  don't  treat  her  kindly  a  bit. 
You  leave  her  all  alone,  and  very  likely  she  's 
homesick  at  this  moment ;  but  I  shall  be  nice 
to  her,  whatever  you  do." 


THE    MANUAL    OF    PEKFECT    GENTILIT1         95 

Whereupon  Miss  Marian  marched  c  ^  of 
the  room  with  her  nose  in  the  air,  am,  de- 
voted herself  to  Candace  for  the  rest  of  that 
day,  much  to  the  lonely  little  visitors  con- 
tentment. 

They  grew  quite  at  home  with  each  other 
over  "  Evangeline."  Birthday  books  had  just 
come  into  fashion.  Somebody  had  given 
Marian  one ;  and  she  now  brought  it  and 
asked  Candace  to  write  in  it. 

"June  17,"  she  said,  as  Cannie  sought  out 
the  right  page;  "why,  that  is  next  Satur- 
day." 

"  So  it  is,  though  I  should  n't  have  re- 
membered it  if  it  had  n't  been  for  your 
book." 

"  Why,  how  funny  !  "  cried  Marian,  open- 
ing her  eyes  wide.  "  Don't  you  keep  your 
birthdays  ?  " 

"Keep  them?"  repeated  Candace,  in  a 
tone  of  perplexity. 

"Yes;  keep — celebrate  them ?  Don't  peo- 
ple ever  give  you  presents  ?  Did  n't  you  ever 
have    a   cake  ?  "  —  her   voice   increasing    in 


98  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

dismay,  as  Candace  in  answer  to  each  ques- 
tion shook  her  head. 

"  Cake  —  on  my  birthday,  you  mean  ?  No, 
I  don't  think  I  ever  did.  Aunt  Myra  does  n't 
believe  in  cake.  She  says  she  liked  it  when 
she  was  young ;  but  since  she  was  converted 
to  cracked  wheat  and  oatmeal  at  the  age  of 
thirty-three,  she  has  hardly  ever  touched  it. 
We  never  had  any  at  North  Tolland,  except 
gingerbread  sometimes." 

"  What  a  dreadful  kind  of  aunt  for  a  girl  to 
have!"  remarked  Marian,  meditatively.  She 
sat  for  some  time  longer  on  the  floor,  with  her 
head  on  Candace's  knee ;  but  she  seemed  to 
be  thinking  deeply  about  something,  and  said 
she  did  n't  feel  like  being  read  to  any  longer. 
At  last  she  went  away  "  to  speak  to  mamma," 
she  said. 

Candace  had  forgotten  all  about  this  birth- 
day discussion  before  Saturday  morning 
dawned  dimly  out  of  the  still  persistent  fog. 
All  the  time  she  was  dressing,  her  eyes  were 
on  "  The  Golden  Legend  "  which  lay  open  on 
the  bureau  beside  her;  and  her  thoughts  were 


THE   MANUAL    OF    PERFECT    GENTILITY.       97 

so  much  occupied  with  Prince  Henry  and  poor 
pretty  Elsie,  for  whom  she  felt  so  very  sorry, 
that  she  had  none  to  spare  for  the  compara- 
tively unimportant  fact  that  she,  little  Can- 
dace  Arden,  had  that  day  turned  the  corner 
of  her  seventeenth  year. 

It  was  all  the  more  a  delightful  surprise, 
therefore,  when  she  went  down  to  breakfast 
and  found  a  pile  of  dainty,  white,  ribbon-tied 
parcels  on  her  plate,  a  glass  of  beautiful  roses 
beside  it,  and  was  met  with  a  special  kiss 
from  Cousin  Kate,  and  a  chorus  of  "  Many 
happy  returns  "  from  the  rest  of  the  family. 

The  little  softnesses  and  prettinesses  of  life, 
the  gifts  and  surprises,  the  sweet  words,  the 
being  made  much  of  on  special  occasions, 
were  quite  unknown  to  the  old  farm-house 
in  North  Tolland.  Aunt  Myra  was  a  stanch 
Presbyterian.  She  disapproved  on  principle 
of  Christmas  day,  as  belonging  to  popery  and 
old  superstition.  She  did  n't  see  that  one  day 
was  any  better  than  any  other  day.  It  was 
just  an  accident  on  what  day  of  the  year  you 
were  born,  and  it  was  no  use  to  make  a  fuss 


98  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

about  it,  she  said.  There  were  plenty  of  peo- 
ple in  the  world  before  you  came,  and  there 
would  have  been  plenty  if  you  had  never  come 
at  all.     Such  was  Aunt  Myra's  dictum. 

With  these  views,  it  may  be  supposed  that 
Candace's  idea  of  an  anniversary  was  not  a 
very  lively  one.  For  a  moment  she  scarcely 
took  in  the  meaning  of  what  she  saw,  but 
stood  regarding  the  plate-ful  of  parcels  with 
a  bewildered  look  on  her  face. 

"  It 's  your  birthday,  you  know,"  exclaimed 
little  Marian.  "  Many  happy  returns  !  Don't 
you  recollect  that  it  's  your  birthday  ?  We 
should  n't  have  found  it  out,  though,  if  it 
had  n't  been  for  my  book." 

"  I  'm  not  so  sure  about  that,"  said  Mrs. 
Gray,  smiling  at  her.  "  I  had  the  date  of 
Gannie's  birthday  put  down  securely  some- 
where, and  I  've  been  keeping  a  special  gift 
for  it.  It  's  something  that  I  brought  you 
from  Geneva,  Cannie  ;  but  as  it  had  waited 
so  long  before  getting  to  you,  I  thought  it 
might  as  well  wait  a  little  longer  and  come 
on  your  anniversary." 


THE    MANUAL    OF    PERFECT    GENTILITY.       99 

u  Oh,  thank  you,"  said  Candace,  glancing 
shyly  at   the  parcels. 

u  Please  do  begin  to  open  them !  "  urged 
Marian.  "  It  is  such  fun  to  see  people 
open  presents.  That 's  mamma's  \  open  it 
first." 

It  was  a  flat  squarish  bundle,  tied  with  a  rose- 
colored  ribbon.  Cannie's  fingers  shook  with 
excitement  as  she  undid  the  knot.  Break- 
fast meantime  was  at  a  stand-still.  The  girls 
were  peeping  over  her  shoulders,  Mr.  Gray 
watching  from  behind  his  newspaper ;  even 
Frederic,  with  a  plate  of  hot  toast  in  his 
hand,  had  paused,  and  out  of  one  discreet 
eye  was  observing  her  movements. 

Inside  was  a  flat  case  of  gray  polished 
wood,  with  a  little  silver  ornament  in  the 
middle.  It  opened  with  a  snap.  Cannie 
pressed  the  spring,  the  lid  flew  up,  and  there, 
on  a  cushion  of  blue  velvet,  lay  the  prettiest 
little  Swiss  watch  imaginable,  with  C.  V.  A. 
enamelled  on  its  lid.  There  was  a  slender 
gold  chain  attached,  a  little  enamelled  key, 
—  nothing  could  be  more  complete. 


100  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

"  A  watch  !  for  me  !  to  be  my  own  !  " 
cried  Candace,  hardly  able  to  believe  her 
eyes.  "I  never  thought  I  should  have  a 
watch,  and  such  a  darling  beauty  as  this. 
Oh,  Cousin  Kate  !  M 

"  I  am  glad  it  pleases  you/'  said  her  cousin, 
with  another  kiss.  "  You  should  have  had  it 
two  years  ago  ;  but  I  thought  you  rather 
young  to  be  trusted  with  a  watch  then,  so  I 
kept  it  till  we  should  meet." 

"  Oh,  do  make  haste  and  open  another ! 
It  's  such  fun  to  see  you,"  pleaded  Marian. 

One  by  one,  the  other  parcels  were  unfas- 
tened. There  was  a  little  ring  of  twisted  gold 
from  Georgie,  a  sachet  of  braided  ribbons, 
dark  and  light  blue,  from  Gertrude,  a  slender 
silver  bangle  from  Marian,  and  from  Mr.  Gray  a 
long  roll  of  tissue  paper  in  which  lay  six  pairs 
of  undressed  kid  gloves  in  pretty  shades  of 
tan  color  and  pale  yellow.  There  was  besides 
a  big  box  of  candy.  This,  Mr.  Gray  declared, 
was  his  real  present.  Cousin  Kate  was  re- 
sponsible for  the  gloves,  but  he  knew  very 
well  that  there  never  yet  was  a  girl  of  seven- 


THE    MANUAL    OF    PERFECT    GENTILITY.       101 

teen  who  did  not  have  a  sweet  tooth  ready  for 
a  sugar-plum. 

One  bundle  remained.  It  was  tied  with 
pink  packthread  instead  of  ribbon.  Gannie 
undid  the  string.  It  was  a  book,  not  new, 
bound  in  faded  brown  ;  and  the  title  printed 
on  the  back  was  "  The  Ladies'  Manual  of 
Perfect  Gentility." 

"Who  on  earth  gave  you  that  ?"  demanded 
Marian. 

Mrs.  Gray  looked  surprised  and  not  very 
well  pleased. 

"  It  is  a  joke,  I  suppose,"  she  said.  "  Geor- 
gie,  Gertrude,  —  which  of  you  has  been 
amusing  yourself  in  this  odd  way  ?  " 

"  Not  I,  mamma,"  said  Georgie.  Gertrude 
felt  the  reproof  in  her  mother's  manner,  but 
she  tried  to  laugh  the  matter  off. 

"  Oh,  I  put  it  there  just  for  fun,"  she  said. 
"  I  thought  the  more  parcels  the  better,  and 
I  happened  to  see  that  queer  old  thing,  and 
thought  it  would  make  Cannie  laugh." 

This  explanation  was  not  quite  sincere. 
Gertrude  had   put   the    book  on    the   table, 


102  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

hoping  to  tease  Cannie.  She  had  overheard 
something  which  her  mother  was  telling  Can- 
dace  the  day  before,  —  an  explanation  about 
some  little  point  of  manners, —  and  it  had  sug- 
gested the  idea  of  the  old  volume.  Her  shaft 
had  missed  its  mark  somehow,  or,  like  the 
boomerangs  used  by  the  Australian  blacks, 
had  returned  again  to  the  hand  that  aimed 
it ;  for  Cannie  did  not  seem  to  mind  at  all, 
and  Mrs.  Gray,  though  she  said  no  more  at 
the  moment,  was  evidently  meditating  a  lec- 
ture. It  came  after  breakfast,  and  was  un- 
expectedly severe,  hurting  Gertrude  a  great" 
deal  more  than  her  maliciously  intended  gift 
had  hurt  Candace. 

"  You  are  inclined  to  despise  your  cousin  as 
countrified  and  unused  to  society,"  said  Mrs. 
Gray.  "I  grant  that  she  is  not  up  in  all  the 
little  social  rules ;  but  let  me  tell  you,  Gertrude, 
that  Cannie  has  the  true  instinct  of  ladyhood 
in  her,  and  after  the  occurrence  of  this  morn- 
ing I  am  beginning  to  fear  that  you  have  not. 
Good  manners  are  based  on  good  feeling. 
Cannie  may  be  shy  and  awkward ;  she  may 


THE    MANUAL    OF    PERFECT    GENTILITY.       103 

not  know  how  to  face  a  room  full  of  strangers 
gracefully,  —  such  things  are  not  hard  to 
learn,  and  she  will  learn  them  in  time ;  but 
of  one  thing  I  am  very  sure,  and  that  is,  that 
if  you  were  her  guest  at  North  Tolland  in- 
stead of  her  being  yours  at  Newport,  she  would 
be  quite  incapable  of  any  rudeness  however 
slight,  or  of  trying  to  make  you  uncomfort- 
able in  any  way.  I  wish  I  could  say  the  same 
of  you,  Gertrude.  I  am  disappointed  in  you, 
my  child." 

"  Oh,  mamma,  don't  speak  so  ! "  cried  Ger- 
trude, almost  ready  to  cr}^ ;  for  she  admired 
her  mother  as  well  as  loved  her,  and  was 
cravingly  desirous  to  win  her  good  opinion. 
"Please  don't  think  I  meant  to  be  rude.  It 
really  and  truly  was  a  joke." 

"  My  dear,  you  meant  a  little  more  by  it 
than  that,"  replied  Mrs.  Gray,  fixing  her  soft, 
penetrating  look  on  Gertrude's  face.  "  You 
haven't  begun  quite  rightly  with  Candace. 
I  have  noticed  it,  and  have  been  sorry, — 
sorry  for  you  even  more  than  for  her.  She 
is  an  affectionate,  true-hearted  girl.     You  can 


104  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

make  a  good  friend  of  her  if  you  will  •  and 
you  can  be  of  use  to  her  and  she  to  you." 

"  Now,  what  did  mamma  mean  by  that  ?  " 
thought  Gertrude,  after  she  had  gone  up- 
stairs. "  I  can't,  for  the  life  of  me,  see  what 
use  Cannie  could  be  to  me.  I  might  to  her, 
perhaps,  if  I  wanted  to." 

The  " Manual  of  Perfect  Gentility"  was 
destined  to  excite  more  attention  than  its 
donor  had  intended,  in  more  ways  than  one. 
Candace  and  Marian  fell  to  reading  it,  and 
found  its  contents  so  amusing  that  they  car- 
ried it  to  the  morning-room,  where  Georgie 
was  taking  a  lesson  in  china-painting  from 
her  mother,  who  was  very  clever  at  all  the 
minor  art  accomplishments.  .Gertrude  came 
in  at  the  same  time,  in  search  of  some  crewels 
to  match  an  embroidery  pattern ;  so  they  were 
all  together. 

"  Mamma,  mamma,  please  listen  to  this !  " 
cried  Marian,  and  she  read :  — 

"  *  Directions  for  entering  the  room  at  an  evening 
party.  —  Fix  your  eye  on  the  lady  of  the  house 
on  entering,  and  advance  toward  her  with  out- 


THE    MANUAL    OF    PEKFECT    GENTILITY.       105 

stretched  hand,  looking  neither  to  the  right  nor  to 
the  left,  until  you  have  interchanged  the  ordinary 
salutations  of  the  occasion.  When  this  is  done, 
turn  aside  and  mingle  with  the  other  guests.' 

Now,  mamma,  just  imagine  it,  —  marching 
in  with  your  hand  out  and  your  eye  fixed ! " 
And  Marian,  relinquishing  the  Manual  to 
Cannie,  flew  to  the  door, '  and  entered  in 
the  manner  prescribed,  with  her  eyes  set  in 
a  stony  glare  on  her  mothers  face,  and  her 
hand  held  before  her  as  stiffly  as  if  it  had  been 
a  shingle.     No  one  could  help  laughing. 

"  I  don't  think  the  hand  and  the  glare 
are  necessary,"  said  Mrs.  Gray ;  "  but  it  is 
certainly  quite  proper  to  speak  to  the  lady 
of  the  house,  when  you  come  in,  before  you 
begin  to  talk  to  other  people." 

"  Here 's  another,"  cried  Marian,  hardly 
waiting  till  her  mother  had  done  speaking. 
"Just  listen  to  these  — 

"  '  Directions  for  a  horseback  ride.  Mounting. — 
The  lady  should  stand  on  the  left  side  of  the 
horse,  with  her  right  hand  on  the  pommel  of 
her  saddle,  and  rest  her  left  foot  lightly  on  the 


106  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

shoulder  of  her  gentleman  attendant,  who  bends 
before  her.  When  this  is  done,  the  gentleman  will 
slowly  raise  himself  to  the  perpendicular  position, 
and  in  doing  so  lift  the  lady  without  difficulty  to 
the  level  of  her  seat.'  " 

"  My  gracious  !  suppose  he  did  n't,"  re- 
marked Georgie,  looking  up  from  her  paint- 
ing. "  There  she  would  be,  standing  on  his 
shoulder,  on  one  foot !  Imagine  it,  on  the 
Avenue  !  "  And  the  four  girls  united  in  a 
peal  of  laughter. 

"  But  there  is  something  here  that  I  really 
want  to  know  about,"  said  Candace.  "  May 
I  read  it  to  you,  Cousin  Kate  ?  It 's  in  a 
chapter  called  '  Correspondence.' ' 

"  Oh,  my  !  "  cried  Marian,  who  still  held  fast 
to  one  side  of  the  Manual.  "  It  tells  how  to 
refuse  gentlemen  when  they  offer  themselves 
to  you.     Here  it  all  is.     You  must  say,  — 

"  4  Sir,  —  I  regret  extremely  if  anything  in  my 
manner  has  led  to  a  misapprehension  of  my  true 
feelings.  I  do  not  experience  for  you  the  affec- 
tion which  alone  can  make  the  marriage  relation  a 
happy  one  ;  so  I  — '  " 


THE    MANUAL    OF   PERFECT    GENTILITYo       107 

"  No,  no/'  interrupted  Candace,  blushing 
very  pink,  and  pulling  the  book  away  from 
Marian ;  "  that  is  n't  at  all  what  I  wanted  to 
ask  you  about,  Cousin  Kate.     It  was  —  " 

"  Oh,  then  perhaps  you  meant  to  accept 
him,"  went  on  the  incorrigible  Marian,  again 
getting  possession  of  one  side  of  the  "  Manual 
of  Gentility."     "  Here  you  are  :  — 

"  '  Dear  Friend,  —  Your  letter  has  made  me 
truly  happy,  breathing,  as  it  does,  expressions  of 
deep  and  heartfelt  affection,  of  which  I  have  long 
felt  the  corresponding  sentiments.  I  shall  be 
happy  to  receive  you  in  my  home  as  an  accepted 
suitor,  and  I  — 9  " 

"  Cousin  Kate,  make  her  stop  —  is  n't  she 
too  bad?"  said  Cannie,  vainly  struggling  for 
the  possession  of  the  book. 

" '  And  I '  —  let  me  see,  where  was  I  when 
you  interrupted  ?  "  went  on  Marian.  "  Oh, 
yes,  here  — 

"  6  And  I  am  sure  that  my  parents  will  give  their 
hearty  consent  to  our  union.  Receive  my  thanks 
for  your  assurances,  and  believe  — '  " 


108  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

But  Candac£  had  again  got  hold  of  the 
volume,  and  no  one  ever  learned  the  end  of 
the  letter,  or  what  the  lover  of  this  obliging 
lady  was  to  "  believe." 

"  This  is  what  I  wanted  to  ask  you  about, 
Cousin  Kate,"  said  Candace,  when  quiet  was 
restored.     "  The  book  says :  — 

"  '  The  signature  of  a  letter  should  depend  upon 
the  degree  of  familiarity  existing  between  the 
writer  and  the  person  addressed.  For  instance,  in 
writing  to  a  perfect  stranger  a  lady  would  naturally 
use  the  form,  — 

Yours  truly, 

Mrs.  A.  M.  Cotterell.' " 

"  Oh !  oh  !  "  interrupted  Georgie.  "  Fancy 
any  one  signing  herself  '  Yours  truly,  Mrs. 
A.  M.  Cotterell.9  It 's  awfully  vulgar,  is  n't 
it  mamma?" 

"  That  is  a  very  old-fashioned  book,"  ob- 
served Mrs.  Gray;  "still  I  don't  think,  even 
at  the  time  when  it  was  published,  that  well- 
bred  people  used  a  signature  like  that.  It 
may  not  be  '  awfully  vulgar,'  but  it  certainly 


THE   MANUAL    OF    PERFECT    GENTILITY.       109 

is  not  correct ;  nothing  but  the  Christian  name 
should  ever  be  used  as  a  signature." 

"  But  suppose  the  person  you  were  writing 
to  did  not  know  whether  you  were  married 
or  not,"  said  Candace. 

"  Then  you  can  add  your  address  below, 
like  this ; "  and  she  wrote  on  the  edge  of  her 
drawing-paper,  — 

"Yours  truly, 

"  Catherine  V.  Gray. 

"  Mrs.  Courtenay  Gray, 
"  Newport,  R.  I. 

That  is  what  I  should  do  if  I  were  writing  to 
a  stranger." 

"  Then  there  is  this  about  the  addresses  of 
letters/'  went  on  Candace:  — 

"  *  In  addressing  a  married  lady,  use  her  maiden 
as  well   as   her   married    name ;  for   example,  in 
writing  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Beebe,  who  is  married  to 
George  Gordon,  the  proper  direction  would  be 
Mrs.  Sarah  B.  Gordon, 

Care  of  George  Gordon, 
Oshkosh, 

Michigan.' 
Is  that  right,  Cousin  Kate  ?  " 


110  A   LITTLE    COUNTKY    GIKL. 

"  No ;  that  is  decidedly  wrong.  When  Miss 
Beebe  married,  she  became  not  only  Mrs. 
Gordon,  but  Mrs.  George  Gordon,  to  distin- 
guish her  from  any  other  Mrs.  Gordons  who 
might  happen  to  exist.  She  should  sign  her- 
self '  Sarah  B.  Gordon,'  but  her  letters  and 
cards  should  bear  her  married  name,  '  Mrs. 
George  Gordon.'  " 

"  But  people  do  write  to  widows  in  that 
way,  don't  they  ?  "  asked  Gertrude.  u  I  rec- 
ollect, when  I  went  to  the  post-office  with 
Berry  Joy  one  day,  there  was  a  letter  for  her 
mother,  directed  to  Mrs.  Louisa  Bailey  Joy." 

"  Yes ; ,  people  do,  but  not  the  people  who 
know  the  right  way,"  her  mother  replied 
dryly.  "  A  man's  Christian  name  does  n't  die 
with  him  any  more  than  his  surname.  I 
often  see  letters  addressed  to  Mrs.  Jane  this 
and  Mrs.  Maria  that,  but  it  never  seems  to 
me  either  correct  or  elegant.  It  is  a  purely 
American  custom.  English  people  have  never 
adopted  it,  and  it  seems  very  odd  to  them." 

"Well,  about  cards,"  continued  Marian, 
who    was    turning    over    the    leaves   of   the 


THE   MA.NUAL    OF    PERFECT    GENTILITY.       Ill 

"  Manual  of  Gentility."  "  See  what  a  funny 
little  card  this  is  •  and  the  writer  of  the  book 
says  it  is  the  kind  we  ought  to  have."  She 
pointed  to  a  page  on  which  appeared  a  little 
oblong  enclosure  bearing  the  name 


Fannie  C.  Jones. 


"  That  isn't  nice  a  bit,  is  it,  mamma  ?  " 

"  No,  I  confess  that  it  does  not  look  to  me 
at  all  right.  Girls  old  enough  to  need  cards 
are  old  enough  to  have  '  handles  to  their 
names.'  If  I  were  that  young  woman  I 
should  spell  '  Fanny '  without  the  ie,  and  call 
myself i  Miss  Frances  C.  Jones '  on  my  card, 
and  keep  my  pet  name  for  the  use  of  my 
friends,  and  not  print  it." 

"  I  think  I  've  learned  a  good  deal  to-day," 
said  Candace.  "  The  funny  old  book  is  n't 
right  in  what  it  says,  but  Cousin  Kate  knows  ; 
so  it  comes  to  the  same  thing  in  the  end. 
I'm  glad  you  gave  it  to  me,  Gertrude" 


±12  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

Gertrude  had  the  grace  to  feel  ashamed, 
as  she  saw  Candace's  perfect  freedom  from 
shame. 

"  Oh,  dear  !  how  much  there  is  to  learn  !  " 
continued  Candace,  with  a  sigh.  She  was 
still  deep  in  the  "  Ladies'  Manual  of  Perfect 
Gentility." 

"Put  away  that  book,  Cannie,"  said  her 
cousin ;  "  or  give  it  to  me,  and  I  will  hide 
it  where  Gertrude  shall  not  find  it  again. 
Good  breeding  can  be  learned  without  printed 
rules." 

"  Can  it,  mamma  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  for,  as  I  was  saying  this  morning  to 
Gertrude,  good  manners  are  the  result  of  good 
feeling.  If  we  really  care  about  other  people, 
and  wrant  to  make  them  happy,  and  think  of 
them  and  not  of  ourselves,  we  shall  instinc- 
tively do  what  will  seem  pleasant  to  them, 
and  avoid  doing  what  is  disagreeable.  We 
shall  refrain  from  interrupting  them  when 
they  are  speaking.  We  shall  not  half  listen 
to  what  they  say,  while  our  eyes  are  roving 
about  the  room,  and  our  attention  wandering 


THE    MANUAL    OF    PERFECT    GENTILITY.       113 

to  other  things.  We  shall  be  quick  to  notice 
if  they  want  anything  that  we  can  get  for 
them.  We  shall  not  answer  at  random,  or 
giggle,  or  say  the  wrong  thing.  We  shall 
not  loll  back  in  our  chairs,  as  Georgie  is 
doing  at  this  moment,  with  one  foot  cocked 
over  the  other  knee,  and  a  paint-brush  in 
our  mouths." 

u  Mamma  !  "  And  Georgie  hastily  recov- 
ered the  upright  position,  and  took  her  paint- 
brush  from   between  her  lips. 

"  We  shall  not  drum  idly  on  window-panes, 
as  Gertrude  was  doing  just  now,  for  fear  that 
the  little  noise  will  be  disagreeable  to  our 
neighbors." 

"  Now,  mamma  !  " 

"We  shall  not  walk  carelessly  between 
any  one  and  the  fire,  because  we  shall  be 
afraid  of  making  them  cold  ;  nor  shall  we  up- 
set a  work-basket  while  doing  so,  as  Marian 
upset  mine  just  now." 

"  Mamma,  I  do  believe  you  are  giving  us 
all  a  scolding ;  I  shall  just  stop  you."  And 
Marian  flung  her  arms  round  her  mother's 


114  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

neck,  and  gave  her  half  a  dozen  enormous 
kisses. 

"  We  shall  consider  a  kiss  as  a  favor/'  went 
on  Mrs.  Gray,  inexorably,  holding  Marian  off 
at  arm's  length,  u  not  a  punishment  to  be 
inflicted  whenever  we  happen  to  feel  like  it. 
We  shall  never  trot  one  foot  when  we  are 
nervous,  and  shake  the  table." 

"  Cannie,  that 's  you.  I  thought  it  would 
be  your  turn  soon,"  said  Marian. 

"  Oh  !  did  I  trot  ?  "  said  Cannie.  "  Please 
excuse  me,  Cousin  Kate.  I  have  such  a  bad 
habit  of  doing  that.  Aunt  Myra  says  it 's 
my  safety-valve." 

"If  it's  a  safety-valve,  it's  all  very  well/' 
replied  her  cousin.  "I  didn't  know.  In 
short,  my  dears,  as  the  poet  says,  — 

'  Manners  arc  not  idle,  but  the  fruit 
Of  noble  nature  and  of  lofty  mind.' 

The  instinct  of  self-control,  of  gentleness,  of 
consideration  and  forethought  and  quick 
sympathy,  which  go  to  make  up  what  we 
call  good  breeding ;  the  absence  of  noise  and 


THE    MANUAL    OF   PERFECT    GENTILITY.       115 

hurry,  the  thousand  and  one  little  ways  by 
which  we  can  please  people,  or  avoid  dis- 
pleasing them,  —  are  all  taught  us  by  our  own 
hearts.  Good  manners  are  the  fine  flower 
of  civilization.  And  everybody  can  have 
them.  I  always  say  that  one  of  the  best- 
bred  men  of  my  acquaintance  is  Mr.  Jarvis, 
the  mason.  I  have  known  him  come  up  out 
of  a  cistern  to  speak  to  me,  dressed  in  over- 
alls and  a  flannel  shirt ;  and  his  bow  and 
his  manner  and  the  politeness  of  his  address 
would  have  done  credit  to  any  gentleman  in 
the  world." 

"  Mamma,  how  funny  you  are,"  said  Geor- 
gie,  wonderingly ;  but  Gertrude  caught  her 
mother's  meaning  more  clearly. 

u  I  rather  like  it,"  she  said  slowly.  "  It 
sounds  like  something  in  a  poem  or  a  story- 
book, and  it  would  be  nice  if  everybody  felt 
like  that,  but  people  don't.  I  've  heard 
Mrs.  Joy  speak  quite  rudely  to  Mr.  Jarvis, 
mamma." 

"  Very  likely.  I  never  have  considered 
Mrs.  Joy  as  a  model   of  manners,"   replied 


116  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

Mrs.  Gray,  coolly.  "  And  that  reminds  me 
to  say  just  one  other  word  about  good  breed- 
ing toward  servants  and  people  who  work 
for  us,  or  are  poor  and  need  our  help.  Gen- 
tleness and  politeness  are  even  more  im- 
portant with  them  than  they  are  with  other 
people." 

"  Why  more,  mamma  ?  " 

"  Because  their  lives  are  harder  than  ours, 
and  we  owe  them  all  the  little  help  that 
courtesy  can  give.  Because,  too,  we  are  their 
models,  consciously  or  unconsciously,  and  if 
we  are  polite  to  them  they  w7ill  in  return  be 
polite  to  us.  And  besides,  they  meet  us  at  a 
disadvantage.  If  a  servant  '  answers  back,' 
she  is  called  impertinent  and  discharged ;  but 
I  should  think  it  must  be  rather  hard  not  to 
answer  back  to  some  mistresses." 

"  Is  that  w^hy  you  are  always  so  very  po- 
lite to  Jane  ? "  asked  Gertrude.  Jane  was 
the  cook. 

"  Yes,  partly  that ;  and  partly  because  I 
want  Jane  to  be  very  polite  to  me ;  and  she 
always  is." 


THE    MANUAL    OF    PERFECT    GENTILITY.       117 

"  There  is  the  sun  at  last,  I  do  declare/' 
cried  Marian*  springing  up.  "  Hurrah !  I 
should  think  it  was  time.  Now  we  shall  have 
some  nice  weather,  Cannie.  Newport  is 
lovely  after  a  fog.  It  looks  so  nicely  washed, 
and  so  green.  Mamma,  could  n't  we  have  a 
long  drive  this  afternoon  in  the  wagonette, 
across  the  beaches  and  way  round  by  the 
windmill  ?     I  like  that  drive  so  much." 

"  Yes  ;  and  at  dinner  we  will  eat  Cannie's 
health  in  her  birthday  cake.  It  is  making 
now,  and  Jane  has  the  seventeen  little  pink 
candles  all  ready.  How  the  fog  is  rolling 
away  !     It  will  be  a  charming  afternoon." 


118  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL, 


CHAPTER   V. 

DOWN   TO    BEAYER   TAIL. 

|UNDAY  morning  brought  the  fresh, 
lovely  stillness  which  Sundays  in 
early  summer  seem  always  to  pos- 
sess in  Newport.  Later  in  the  sea- 
son the  roll  of  wheels  and  the  jingle  of  plated 
harnesses  come  to  mar  this  peacefulness ;  but 
till  the  very  end  of  June  it  endures,  and  is 
one  of  the  sweet  things  of  the  place. 

The  Joys  were  at  breakfast.  It  was  one  of 
the  points  in  which  Mrs.  Joy  took  most  pride, 
that  this  meal  was  served  in  a  special  apart- 
ment known  as  the  breakfast-room,  and  not, 
as  with  most  families,  in  the  room  where  they 
dined.  The  breakfast-room  was  not  large,  but 
sumptuous  in  all  its  appointments.  A  criti- 
cal taste  might  have  objected  that  the  plush 
curtains  which  shaded  the  windows  were  too 


DOWN   TO    BEAVER   TAIL.  119 

heavy  for  summer ;  that  the  begilded  wall- 
paper "  swore  "  a  little  at  its  own  dado  and 
frieze,  as  well  as  deadened  the  effect  of  the 
pictures  which  hung  against  it ;  and  that  the 
drapery  of  lace  and  velvet  which  veiled  the 
fireplace  made  a  fire  inconvenient  and  almost 
impossible,  however  cold  the  weather  might 
be.  But  a  critical  taste  might  have  found, 
the  same  faults  with  the  whole  house.  The 
general  effect  was  of  costliness  and  magnifi- 
cence ;  but  the  details  were  at  variance,  and 
comfort  and  homelikeness  had  been  sacrificed 
in  the  effort  to  make  everything  fine.  There 
was  a  library,  with  almost  no  books  in  it ;  a 
ball-room,  which  was  used  only  for  balls,  and 
looked  bare  and  shut  up  on  ordinary  days; 
a  huge  drawing-room,  full  of  costly  toys, — 
tables  loaded  with  Sevres  cups,  other  tables 
with  processions  of  pug-dogs  in  precious 
china,  snuff-boxes,  patch -boxes;  chimney- 
piece  crowded  with  porcelain  figures  and 
bits  of  old  Dresden  ware ;  there  was  a  great 
deal  of  carving  and  or-moulu,  —  but  it  all 
had  the  air  of  being  created  and  kept  for 


120  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

company  use,  and  deserted  the  moment  com- 
pany went  away.  Mrs.  Joy  had  only  got  so 
far  in  her  art  education  as  this,  that  she 
bought  everything  which  cost  a  great  deal  of 
money  and  which  her  neighbors  bought,  and 
she  never  stopped  to  reason  about  such  minor 
points  as  taste,  fitness,  convenience,  or  the 
adaptation  of  an  article  to  her  own  particular 
needs. 

Mrs.  Joy  was  the  very  image  of  a  pros- 
perous woman,  as  she  sat  behind  her  heavy 
silver  coffee-pots  and  cream-jugs,  reading  the 
Sunday  paper,  to  get  which  her  groom  had 
ridden  a  couple  of  miles  before  breakfast. 
Her  very  black  hair  was  trained  into  a  line 
of  formal  rings  across  her  forehead,  which  as 
yet  scarcely  showed  a  wrinkle.  Her  tightly 
laced  figure  was  almost  as  slender  as  her 
daughter's ;  and  the  hand  sparkling  with  dia- 
monds, which  held  the  paper,  was  white  and 
youthful.  Handsome  she  certainly  was ;  and 
people  called  her  agreeable,  for  she  talked  a 
great  deal,  in  a  noisy,  lively  way,  and  had  a 
caressing  manner  for  all  persons  whom  she 


DOWN    TO    BEAVER    TAIL.  121 

thought  it  worth  her  while  to  caress.  But 
her  face  was  hard ;  and  when  the  society 
smile  died  out  of  it,  it  was  neither  intelligent 
nor  kindly.  Mrs.  Joy  had  been  extremely 
pretty  in  her  youth.  Berenice  was  like  her; 
but  Tom  Joy  the  son  resembled  his  father, 
who  had  died  three  or  four  years  before  the 
opening  of  this  little  story. 

Berry  and  her  friend  Ethel  Curtis  were 
talking  about  a  sailing  party  which  they  had 
planned  for  the  next  day. 

"  The  Grays  and  the  Halletts,  and  Julia 
Prime,  that  makes  seven ;  mamma  for  ma- 
tron, eight ;  then  there 's  Tom  and  George  Riv- 
ington,  and  the  two  Fosters.  I  can't  think 
where  we  are  to  get  the  other  three  men." 

"  It  is  n't  like  a  dinner  party.  The  numbers 
need  not  be  exactly  equal/'  suggested  Ethel. 

"  That 's  true,  but  it 's  a  great  deal  better 
fun  to  have  them  equal.  Men  hate  to  talk 
to  two  girls  at  once,  and  the  girls  who 
haven't  any  men  to  talk  to  feel  left  out. 
Carrol  Benton  is  coming  up  the  end  of  the 
week ;  I  wish  he  were  here  now." 


122  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

"  I  guess  you  'd  better  look  up  some  other 
matron,  and  let  me  off/'  said  Mrs.  Joy,  laying 
down  her  newspaper.  "  I  don't  care  much 
for  sailing.  I  'm  so  apt  to  feel  a  little  sick, 
and  that  spoils  all  the  pleasure  of  it.  Ask 
Mrs.  Freddy  Allen ;  she  is  young,  and  likes 
to  go  everj^where,  and  Freddy  will  go  along 
and  make  another  gentleman." 

"  That  will  do  nicely  if  you  really  don't 
want  to  go,  mamma.  We  '11  invite  them  all 
as  we  come  out  of  church,  and  save  the 
bother  of  writing  notes.  It's  easier  to  ex- 
plain when  you  see  people  than  to  write 
down  everything." 

"  Yes,  that 's  one  of  the  conveniences  of 
going  to  church,"  remarked  Mrs.  Joy,  calmly. 
"  I  've  often  had  as  many  as  three  or  four 
invitations,  coming  out  of  Trinity  on  a  Sun- 
day morning  in  the  season.  These  muffins 
are  horrid.  James,  tell  the  cook  she  ought  to 
be  ashamed  of  herself  to  send  up  such  things. 
T^hey  're  as  tough  as  leather,  and  burned  be- 
sides—  as  black  as  my  shoe,  I  do  declare." 

"Yes, 'm." 


DOWN    TO    BE  AVER   TAIL.  123 

And  James  departed  to  incense  the  cook 
with  the  unsoftened  message.  The  cook  de- 
clared that  when  ladies  came  down  an  hour 
late  for  breakfast,  they  must  expect  tough 
muffins ;  and  for  her  part  she  did  n't  care 
whether  they  were  good  or  not;  she  didn't 
think  much  of  the  place  anyway,  and  did  n't 
mean  to  stay  on.  There 'd  be  plenty  of 
people  coming  in  a  week  or  two,  and  plenty 
of  places  to  pick  and  choose  from.  Mrs.  Joy 
was  always  having  little  difficulties  with  her 
servants. 

Trinity  Church  looked  cool  and  shady,  as 
the  party  entered  it  from  the  dazzle  of  the 
outer  sunshine.  Berenice  Joy  was  perfectly 
well-trained  in  the  outward  forms  of  devotion. 
She  called  herself  "  High  Church  ;  "  and  noth- 
ing could  be  more  graceful  than  the  manner 
in  which  she  glided  up  the  aisle,  bowed  to 
the  chancel,  and  sank  on  her  knees,  for  what 
was  supposed  to  be  a  short  interval  of  silent 
prayer.  But  her  eyes  went  straight  to  the 
Grays'  pew  the  moment  she  rose,  and  from 
thence  to  the   Halletts',   and   she  whispered 


124  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIKx, 

to  Ethel,  "  They  're  all  here.  That >s  nice.'' 
Then  she  indulged  in  a  long  stare  at  Can- 
dace,  who  had  come  to  church  with  her 
cousins,  and  who,  in  her  new  crearn-and- 
brown  foulard,  with  the  daisy-trimmed  hat, 
and  a  pair  of  the  birthday  gloves  on  her  slen- 
der hands,  looked  quite  differently  from  the 
ill-dressed  little  passenger  of  the  "  Eolus  "  the 
Monday  before. 

"  Do  look  !  That 's  the  very  girl  we  saw7  on 
the  boat,"  went  on  Berenice,  in  the  same  low 
whisper.  "  Did  you  ever !  Has  n't  Mrs.  Gray 
done  her  over  nicely?  I  wonder  wThere  she 
got  that  hat  ?  " 

"  I  wonder  what  she  has  done  with  the  old 
one?" 

"  Given  it  to  the  cook,  or  sold  it  to  the  rag- 
and-bottle  man,"  retorted  Berry.  Then  came 
a  suppressed  giggle,  which  ended  in  sudden, 
forced  gravity  as  the  opening  words  of  the 
service  fell  on  their  ears,  and  they  rose  with 
the  rest  of  the  congregation. 

Candace  was  not  conscious  that  she  was 
being  looked  at.     She  had  only  once  or  twice 


DOWN    TO    BEAVER    TAIL.  125 

in  her  life  been  in  an  Episcopal  church,  and 
never  before  in  an  old  one.  Trinity  seemed 
to  her  as  wonderful  and  picturesque  as  some 
of  the  churches  she  had  read  about  in  books. 
She  looked  at  the  square  pews  where  people 
sat  sideways,  instead  of  fronting  the  chancel 
as  in  ordinary  churches.  She  noted  the  tall 
wands  with  gilded  tops,  which  marked  the 
places  of  the  junior  and  senior  wardens ;  the 
quaint,  swinging  chandeliers  of  old  brass ; 
the  tablets  on  the  walls,  two  or  three  bearing 
inscriptions  in  honor  of  dead  rectors  or  other 
departed  worthies,  one  to  the  memory  of  a 
young  girl,  with  a  beautiful  flying  figure  in 
bas-relief,  carved  in  white  marble.  She  gazed 
with  amazement  at  the  pulpit,  —  one  of  the 
ancient " three-decker"  pattern,  which  is  rarely 
seen  now-a-days,  with  a  clerk's  desk  below,  a 
> reading-desk  above,  above  that  a  lofty  pulpit 
for  the  clergyman,  to  which  a  narrow  flight  of 
stairs  gave  access,  and  suspended  over  all  an 
enormous  extinguisher-shaped  sounding-board. 
It  looked  large  and  heavy  enough  to  crush 
any  clergyman  who  should  be  caught  by  its 


126  A    LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

fall  while  in  act  of  preaching ;  and  Candace 
watched  its  slight  oscillations  with  an  appre- 
hensive fascination,  till  she  recollected  that 
it  must  have  hung  there  for  a  hundred 
years  at  least,  so  there  was  no  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  it  would  drop  on  this  particular 
Sunday. 

By  turning  her  head  a  very  little  she  could 
get  a  glimpse  of  the  organ-loft,  with  its  quaint 
little  organ  bearing  two  gilded  mitres  and  a 
royal  crown  on  top,  and  below,  the  inscrip- 
tion, "  The  Gift  of  George  Berkeley,  late 
Lord  Bishop  of  Cloyne."  She  wondered 
who  George  Berkeley  could  have  been,  and 
resolved  to  ask  Cousin  Kate  as  they  went 
home  if  there  was  any  story  about  him. 

There  was  no  whispering  or  giggling  in 
Mrs.  Gray's  pew.  The  girls  were  too  well 
trained  for  such  irreverence ;  and  except  that 
Georgie  interchanged  one  little  smile  with 
Berry  Joy  as  she  came  in,  not  one  of  them 
looked  away  from  the  clergyman  till  the  ser- 
mon was  over  and  the  benediction  pronounced. 
It  had  been  an  impressive  service  to  Candace, 


DOWN   TO    BEAVER   TAIL-  127 

who  was  used  to  the  barer  forms  of  the  Con- 
gregational church ;  and  she  was  surprised  to 
perceive  how  little  solemnizing  effect  it  seemed 
to  have  on  the  congregation  in  general. 

The  moment  people  rose  from  their  knees, 
a  low  buzz  of  conversation  began.  Berry 
Joy  seized  on  Georgie  and  Gertrude,  and 
began  to  unfold  the  sailing  plan  as  they 
walked  down  the  aisle.  Mrs.  Joy  took  pos- 
session of  Cousin  Kate.  Everybody  seemed 
to  have  something  to  say  to  somebody.  Can- 
dace  caught  scraps  of  half-a-dozen  different  con- 
versations before  she  reached  the  door,  and 
not  one  of  them  related  in  any  way  to  the 
sermon  or  to  anything  religious.  She  over- 
heard one  invitation  to  dinner,  another  to 
drive,  an  inquiry  about  a  dressmaker,  a  bit  of 
gossip  about  a  new  engagement,  a  request  for  a 
recipe  for  mayonnaise.  She  supposed  it  must 
be  the  right  thing  to  chatter  thus,  since  all 
these  delightful-looking  people  did  it ;  still  it 
seemed  to  her  country  notions  rather  queer. 

The  carriage  was  waiting  in  Spring  Street, 
a  little  farther  up  the  hill.     She  did  not  like 


128  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

to  get  in  till  the  others  were  ready,  so  she 
stepped  aside  among  the  gravestones,  and 
looked  up  to  where  the  white,  slender  spire 
of  the  old  church  towered  against  the  blue. 
She  was  trying  to  make  out  the  Episcopal 
mitre  surmounted  by  the  gilded  weather- 
vane,  when  Mrs.  Gray  saw  and  beckoned  to 
her. 

She  was  still  talking  with  Mrs.  Joy,  and 
that  lady  was  saying,  "  I  may  possibly  not  be 
able  to  go  myself,  but  if  I  am  prevented  I 
will  see  that  the  young  folks  have  a  proper 
matron.  And  then,  my  dear,  there  's  Captain 
Davis,  you  know.  I  never  let  Berry  sail  with 
any  one  else.  He  '&  so  safe  and  so  careful, 
and  the  weather  promises  to  be  perfect." 

"  It  certainly  is  perfect  to-day,"  said  Mrs. 
Gray.  "  Candace  dear,  I  want  to  introduce 
you  to  Mrs.  Joy.  My  cousin,  Miss  Arden, 
Mrs.  Joy ;  or  rather  my  niece,  for  her  mother 
was  like  my  own  sister.  She  has  come  to 
spend  the  summer  with  me.  Cannie,  Mrs. 
Joy  is  the  mother  of  the  young  lady  who 
came  down  with  you  in  the  '  Eolus.' ' 


DOWN    TO    BEAVER   TAIL.  129 

u  Ah,  indeed,  the  girls  did  not  tell  me 
about  that,"  said  Mrs.  Joy.  "  Well,  my  dear," 
—  Mrs.  Joy  would  have  said  "my  dear''  to 
Queen  Victoria  or  the  Empress  of  China,  if 
she  had  ever  had  the  chance  of  an  interview 
with  those  potentates,  —  H  you  've  come  to  a 
charming  place  and  to  charming  relatives, 
I  'm  sure,  and  3^011  can't  fail  to  enjoy  your 
summer.  You  must  come  with  your  cousins 
to-morrow  to  this  sailing-party  which  my 
young  folks  are  getting  up.  They  '11  be  de- 
lighted, I  'm  sure." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Candace,  timidly,  glanc- 
ing at  Mrs.  Gray. 

"  That  will  be  very  nice,"  said  her  cousin. 
"  Cannie  has  not  been  on  the  water  yet.  It 
is  a  new  pleasure  for  her.  At  four  o'clock, 
you  said,  Mrs.  Joy  ?  " 

"  Yes,  dear,  at  four.  And  don't  trouble  to 
send  down  for  the  girls.  It  's  impossible  to 
tell  exactly  when  they  will  get  in,  as  it  de- 
pends on  the  wind,  and  Berry  will  have  the 
beach-wagon,  and  can  bring  them  all  up  as 
well   as   not.      Good-by,    dear."      And    Mrs. 


130  A    LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

Joy  sailed  toward  her  carriage,  where  the 
two  girls  were  already  seated. 

"  I  've  asked  that  Miss  Arden  who  's  stay- 
ing with  the  Grays  to  go  out  sailing  with  you 
to-morrow,"  she  said,  as  she  took  her  seat. 
"You  '11  want  another  gentleman,  Berry." 

"Oh,  mamma,  what  did  you  do  that  for? 
She  's  the  pokiest  little  thing.  We  did  n't 
want  her  at  all." 

"  Well,  Mrs.  Gray  introduced  her,  and  said 
she  was  almost  her  niece,  and  I  thought  it 
seemed  to  be  expected.  Mrs.  Gray  is  always 
polite  to  our  visitors,  you  know,  and  I  don't 
like  to  seem  to  slight  any  of  hers.  What's 
the  matter  with  the  girl  ?  " 

"Oh,  nothing's  the  matter,  only  she  's  poky, 
and  doesn't  seem  to  fit  in  somehow.  You 
would  understand  if  you  had  seen  her  the 
day  she  came.  Mrs.  Gray  has  dressed  her  up, 
as  you  might  be  sure  she  would ;  but  then 
she  looked  like  the  backwoods,  didn't  she, 
Ethel?" 

"  She  seemed  nice-appearing  enough  to- 
day.    You  '11  have  to  make  the  best  you  can 


DOWN   TO   BEAVEK   TAIL.  131 

of  it,  I  guess ;  for  Mrs.  Gray  accepted  for 
her." 

"  It  does  n't  really  signify/'  said  Berry,  dis- 
contentedly ;  "  only  it  throws  the  party  all 
out  of  shape.  And  she  's  younger  than  any 
of  the  rest,  only  just  seventeen,  Georgie  says. 
She  'd  a  great  deal  better  stay  at  home  with 
Marian." 

It  was  fortunate  that  Candace  did  not  guess 
how  unwelcome  her  company  was  to  the  get- 
ters-up  of  the  party,  for  the  idea  of  the  sail 
was  most  delightful  to  her.  She  had  never 
been  out  in  a  boat  in  her  life,  not  even  on  the 
smallest  pond ;  and  she  had  just  discovered 
the  strong  fascination  of  the  sea.  She  longed 
to  get  nearer  to  it,  to  know  it  better ;  and  in 
her  innocent  little  heart  she  thought,  "  How 
very  kind  it  was  in  Mrs.  Joy  to  invite  me." 

Sunday  was  always  a  particularly  pleasant 
day  at  the  Grays'.  Mrs.  Gray  was  wont  to 
declare  that  though  she  did  not  believe  in  the 
Jewish  Sabbath,  she  did  with  all  her  heart 
believe  in  the  Christian  day  of  rest;  and  she 
took  pains  to  make  it  a  happy  one  for  all 


132  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

under  her  roof.  She  gave  her  servants  as 
much  liberty  as  she  could,  simplified  their 
work,  and  provided  a  plenty  of  good  reading 
for  such  of  them  as  stayed  at  home.  Her 
own  time  was  much  more  at  the  service  of 
her  family  than  it  could  be  on  ordinary  days. 
She  always  took  a  walk  with  the  girls  in  the 
cool  of  the  afternoon,  if  the  day  were  pleasant, 
and  kept  some  book  of  a  thoughtful  kind  to 
read  aloud  in  the  evenings.  This  Sunday  it 
happened  to  be  that  wonderful  little  prose 
poem  of  Mrs.  Oliphant's,  "  A  Beleaguered 
City."  Cannie  found  it  absorbingly  interest- 
ing, and  even  Mr.  Gray  laid  aside  his  news- 
paper and  listened  to  the  very  end. 

The  reading  done,  Candace  found  a  chance 
to  ask  her  question  about  George  Berkeley, 
Bishop  of  Cloyne,  the  donor  of  the  organ. 
There  was  a  story  about  him,  as  it  turned  out, 
and  a  very  interesting  one.  Mrs.  Gray  told 
how,  when  Dean  of  Derry  in  Ireland,  the 
project  of  establishing  a  college  in  Bermuda 
for  the  education  of  English  boys  and  of  In- 
dian youths  to  act  as  missionaries  to  their  own 


DOWN   TO   BEAVER   TAIL.  133 

people,  had  taken  possession  of  his  mind ;  and 
he  had  given  up  his  preferment,  and  crossed 
the  sea  with  his  family  to  engage  in  this 
chosen  work.  She  described  their  landing  in 
Newport  on  a  Sunday  morning  when  every- 
body was  at  church,  and  how  the  clergyman 
stopped  in  the  middle  of  his  sermon,  and  with 
all  his  congregation  following  him,  hurried 
down  to  the  water-side  to  receive  the  distin- 
guished guest.  She  promised  to  take  Candace 
out  some  day  to  see  Whitehall,  —  the  house 
which  he  built  on  the  island,  and  in  which  he 
lived  for  some  years,  till  the  impossibility  of 
carrying  out  his  scheme  for  Bermuda  drove 
him  back  again  to  Ireland ;  and  also  the  rocky 
shelf  still  called  "  Bishop  Berkeley's  Rock," 
where  he  is  said  to  have  composed  the  lines 
which  begin 

"Westward  the  course  of  empire  takes  its  way." 

Then  she  looked  up  a  photograph  from  Smi- 
bert's  picture  of  Dean  Berkeley  and  his  family 
to  show  them,  and  by  that  time  the  girls  had 
all  grown  interested ;  and  when  Marian  said 


134  A   LITTLE    COUNTKY   GIRL. 

that  she,  too,  wanted  to  go  to  see  Whitehall, 
Georgie  and  Gertrude  begged  to  be  included 
also,  and  Mrs.  Gray  promised  to  take  them  all. 

"  One  of  the  Dean's  little  children  is  buried 
in  Trinity  churchyard,  Cannie,"  she  ended ; 
"you  can  look  up  the  stone  some  day.  It 
has  '  Lucia  Berkeley '  carved  upon  it." 

"  I  should  like  to,"  said  Cannie.  "  It  has 
been  so  nice  to  hear  about  him.  How  many 
interesting  things  have  happened  in  New- 
port! I  shall  care  a  great  deal  more  about 
that  funny  little  organ,  next  Sunday." 

Newport  Harbor  shone  all  blue  and  silver 
in  the  sun,  as  the  party  stepped  on  board  the 
cat-boat  "  Cornelia  "  at  sharp  four  on  Monday 
afternoon.  Mrs.  Fred  Allen,  a  tall,  graceful 
brunette,  seemed  as  much  of  a  girl  as  any  of 
the  party  which  she  was  nominally  to  "  ma- 
tronize;"  but  "she  was  married  though  she 
did  n't  look  it,"  as  Berry  Joy  remarked,  and 
so  was  qualified  to  fill  the  place.  There  was 
a  fair  wind,  which  sent  the  boat  smoothly 
along  with  little  or  no  motion  as  they  glided 


DO  WIST   TO   BEAVER   TAIL.  135 

past  the  long  sunken  shoal  off  the  end  of 
Goat  Island,  and  opened  the  view  of  Brenton's 
Cove,  with  the  wreck  of  the  old  slaver  lying 
in  the  deep  shadow  under  one  bank,  opposite 
the  ribs  of  the  other  stranded  bark ;  while 
from  beyond  in  the  laughing  bay,  white- 
winged  boats  flitted  to  and  fro,  and  seemed 
to  beckon  and  make  tempting  signals  to  the 
poor  defeated  barks  who  might  never  sail 
or  enjoy  the  sea  again.  Candace  ventured 
to  ask  Gertrude  in  a  whisper,  "What  are 
those  ?  " 

"  Oh,  only  some  old  wrecks,"  replied  Ger- 
trude, carelessly;  and  she  turned  from  Can- 
dace  to  talk  to  Tom  Joy,  w7ho  sat  next  to 
her. 

The  " Cornelia"  was  now  running  on  the 
favoring  wind  between  Fort  Adams  and  the 
Conanicut  shore.  On  one  hand  lay  Newport, 
which  looked  like  a  dream  city  in  the  soft 
shine  of  the  afternoon  ;  on  the  other  was  the 
long  hill  line  of  the  island,  green  with  grasses, 
except  where  broken  now  and  then  by  rocky 
cliffs,  and  indented  with  innumerable   little 


136  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

coves  and  inlets,  —  some  ending  in  strips  of 
pebbly  beach,  others  in  stony  shelves  over- 
hung by  sea-weeds.  The  water  was  beautiful 
in  color,  —  here  pale  flashing  green,  there  pur- 
ple in  the  shadow,  with  gleams  of  golden  light 
and  a  low  reach  of  shimmering  blue  toward 
the  horizon.  On  sped  the  boat  till  they  could 
almost  touch  the  ledges.  The  rounded  out- 
line of  the  old  fortification  on  the  upper  hill 
towered  above  their  heads.  Then  suddenly 
she  curved  and  wheeled  off  on  the  other 
tack,  with  the  sharp  line  of  Castle  Hill  and 
the  Agassiz  Point  full  in  view. 

Candace  gazed  with  delighted  eyes  to  left 
and  right.  Her  mind  was  full  of  questions, 
but  there  seemed  no  one  of  whom  she  could 
ask  them.  Georgie  and  Berry  were  perched 
on  the  extreme  point  of  the  bow,  with  a 
young  man  stretched  at  their  feet.  Mrs.  Fred 
was  on  the  cabin  roof  amidships,  with  quite  a 
little  court  of  girls  and  young  men  about  her. 
The  couples  who  sat  opposite  and  beside  her 
seemed  quite  absorbed  in  each  other.  No 
one   had  spoken  to  Candace  since  the  first 


DOWN   TO   BEAVER   TAIL.  137 

introductions,  and  she  was  too  shy  to  open 
a  conversation  with  anybody. 

"  How  I  wish  I  knew  !  "  she  sighed  to  her- 
self, half  aloud. 

Looking  up,  she  met  the  shrewd,  twink- 
ling eyes  of  the  Captain.  Perhaps  he  had 
caught  the  words,  for  he  asked  encouragingly, 
"  Did  you  speak,  Miss  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Candace,  "  I  don't  think  I  spoke. 
But  I  was  wondering  about  that  —  that — 
thing  up  there,"  pointing  to  the  Fort. 

"That?  That's  Fort  Dumpling,  as  folks 
call  it.  It  is  a  kind  of  a  queer  old  place, 
ain't  it  ?  They  don't  use  it  now  for  no  war 
purposes,  but  it  makes  a  pretty  p'int  in  the 
landscape,  and  folks  go  there  for  picnics  and 
such  in  the  summer  season." 

"  When  was  it  built  ? "  asked  Candace, 
charmed  to  find  somebody  able  and  willing 
to  satisfy  her  curiosity. 

"  Wa'al,  I  reckon  it  was  about  1812,  when 
we  was  a-tackling  the  British  for  the  last 
time.  'T  ain't  very  much  of  a  fort  to  look  at; 
but  if  you  was  to  mount  some  of  them  pow* 


138  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

erful  guns  they  make  now  on  the  walls,  them 
and  the  others  over  at  Fort  Adams  yonder 
would  protect  the  channel  pretty  well.  The 
shot  'd  reach  clear  across.  Why,  you  hardly 
think  it  perhaps,  but  not  more  'n  four  or  five 
years  ago,  there  was  some  folks  who  had 
come  on  a  kind  of  an  excursion,  taking  their 
lunches  up  there  by  Fort  Dumpling,  and 
some  soldiers  was  firing  at  a  long-range  tar- 
get over  there  to  Fort  Adams,  and  one  of  the 
balls  came  over  and  hit  a  young  la^y." 

"  How  dreadful !  "  said  Candace,  her  eyes 
measuring  the  long  distance  between  the  two 
points.  "  And  it  seems  so  far  away.  I  sup- 
pose the  young  lady  felt  perfectly  safe.  I 
am  sure  I  should  have.     Did  it  kill  her  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no  !  they  thought  at  first  it  had,  but 
it  did  n't  turn  out  so  bad  as  was  expected. 
The  soldiers,  th^y  felt  mighty  mean,  I  expect. 
You  see,  they  did  n't  intend  a  mite  of  harm 
to  her  or  anybody ;  but  it  just  shows  how  far 
them  big  guns  carry  now-a-days.  A  war-ship 
now,  unless  she  was  some  kind  of  a  monitor 
or  that,  would  stand  a  fair  chance  of  being 


DOWN    TO    BEATER   TAIL.  139 

stove  and  sent  to  the  bottom  before  she  could 
get  in  to  attack  Newport." 

"What  a  funny  little  house  that  is  close 
down  to  the  water  !  "  remarked  Candace,  look- 
ing off  to  the  opposite  shore. 

"  That  's  Professor  Agassiz's  laboratory. 
Do  y'  see  that  kind  of  a  cove  which  sets  in 
there  near  by  the  building,  and  a  little  black 
thing  sticking  up  out  of  it  ?  That 's  the  pipe 
of  his  steam-launch.  He  and  the  rest  go  out 
in  it  and  dredge  for  fish  and  such  like,  and 
then  they  experiment  on  them  inside." 

"What  do  they  do  that  for?"  asked  Can- 
dace. 

"  Wa'al,  they  want  to  find  out  about  'em, 
I  reckon.  I  was  in  there  once  and  saw  them 
at  work,  but  I  could  n't  make  nothing  out  of 
it,  and  there  was  n't  anybody  I  could  ask." 

"Oh,  what  is  that?"  cried  Candace,  as  the 
"  Cornelia,"  tacking  again,  opened  one  of  the 
little  bays  on  the  south  end  of  Conanicut, 
where  a  small  steam  vessel  was  lying.  Two 
boats,  which  seemed  to  belong  to  her,  were 
rowing   in    a    parallel  line  with  each  other. 


140  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

and  behind  them  appeared  a  long  line  of 
bobbing  points  which  she  could  not  at  all 
understand. 

"  That 's  one  of  the  fishing  steamers,  and 
the  boats  are  drawing  her  nets/'  explained 
the  Captain.  "  Did  n't  you  ever  see  a  seine 
drawn  before  ?  Waal,  I  declare !  I  'm  mighty 
glad  we  happened  just  in  time,  for  it 's  a  cur'us 
spectacle.  I  guess  we  '11  kind  of  hang  about 
till  they  get  the  nets  in,  and  then  I  '11  take  the 
'  Cornelia'  up  near  enough  for  you  to  see." 

"Captain,  there  are  the  seine-boats  out," 
called  Tom  Joy  at  the  same  moment.  "  Let 's 
sail  up  and  see  what  they  've  caught." 

The  two  boats  began  to  near  each  other 
as  they  reached  the  limits  of  the  long  ellip- 
tical curves  which  made  their  course  ;  and 
presently  a  great  number  of  scintillating 
specks  were  seen  in  the  space  enclosed  be- 
tween them.  There  were  the  leaping  fish, 
just  conscious  that  they  were  crowded  into 
a  confined  place,  and  desirous  of  escape. 
When  they  were  quite  close  to  one  another, 
the  boats  turned  and  began  to  row  for  the 


DOWN   TO    BE  AVER   TAIL.  141 

steamer.  The  "Cornelia"  followed;  and  the 
Captain  with  a  twist  of  the  tiller  threw  her 
into  the  wind  just  beyond  the  great  net,  which 
by  that  time  was  being  rapidly  hauled  in. 

It  was  a  wonderful  thing  to  see, —  the  heavy 
mass  of  floundering  fishes  pouring  over  into 
the  steamer's  hold.  Thousands  and  thou- 
sands of  quivering  silvery  shapes  of  all  kinds, 
from  the  fat,  oily-bodied  menhaden,  to  weird 
horned  monsters  with  gaping  mouths,  and 
strange, half-translucent  blocks  like  jelly, which 
seemed  to  have  no  mouths  at  all.  Large  and 
small,  pinky  white,  black,  blue,  —  in  they 
poured.  Now  and  then  some  fish  more  lucky 
than  his  fellows  would  splash  over  the  side 
of  the  net  and  escape  to  liberty  and  the 
deep  sea;  now  and  then  a  fisherman  with  a 
sudden  dash  of  his  hand  would  single  out  a 
specimen  choicer  than  the  rest,  a  blue-fish, 
a  chicken  cod,  or  a  sea-bass. 

The  little  company  in  the  sail-boat  shared 
all  the  excitement  of  the  catch.  The  young 
men  left  their  flirtations  for  the  boat's  side, 
where  they  could  get  a  better  view.     A  great 


142  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

deal  of  chaff  went  on  between  Captain  Davis 
and  the  captain  of  the  menhaden  steamer. 
Tom  Joy  amused  himself  by  bargaining  for 
blue-fish,  and  actually  bought  three  big  flap- 
ping specimens  for  a  dollar  and  a  quarter. 
They  were  deposited  on  the  bottom  of  the 
"  Cornelia,"  where  they  leaped  painfully  up 
and  down,  while  the  girls  retreated  for  refuge 
to  the  upper  deck,  till  Captain  Davis  at  last 
caught  the  fish  and  stowed  them  away  in  his 
little  cabin.  It  was  not  till  the  last  loop  of 
the  seine  was  emptied,  the  last  fish  secured, 
and  the  boats  were  making  ready  for  another 
cast,  that  the  "  Cornelia  "  finally  glided  away ; 
and  by  that  time  a  soft  crimson  glow  had  gath- 
ered in  the  west  and  the  sun  was  nearing  the 
horizon  edge.  The  wind  blew  more  freshly 
now,  and  with  a  zest  and  coolness  which  it 
had  not  had  earlier  in  the  afternoon. 

Captain  Davis  pointed  out  to  Candace  the 
light-ship  anchored  in  the  offing  between 
Point  Judith  and  Brenton's  Eeef,  and  told 
her  how  the  men  who  lived  on  board  of 
her  did  not  see  a  face  from  land  for  weeks 


DOWN    TO    BEAVER    TAIL.  143 

together  sometimes,  when  winds  were  stormy 
and  waves  rough.  Candace  listened  eagerly. 
The  rest  of  the  party  had  gone  back  to  their 
old  places,  but  there  was  not  so  much  chatter 
now.  The  dreamy  influences  of  the  hour 
were  felt  by  every  one.  Dick  Foster  was 
quoting  Tennyson  in  a  low  voice  to  pretty 
Julia  Prime.  Berry  Joy  and  Georgie  still 
kept  up  a  fitful  conversation  with  their  cava- 
lier ;  but  Gertrude  had  grown  silent,  and  Tom 
Joy  was  whistling  softly  to  himself,  with  his 
eyes  fixed  on  the  sunset. 

The  "  Cornelia "  sped  silently  seaward. 
Suddenly  they  were  in  the  shadow  of  a  deep 
cove  at  the  very  end  of  Conanicut ;  and  close 
by  them  rose  out  of  the  sea  an  immense  square 
table  of  rock,  over  which,  still  as  it  was,  the 
surge  was  constantly  flinging  showers  of  white 
spray.  The  whole  top  of  this  rock  was  black 
with  large  sea-birds.  Candace  had  never  im- 
agined such  a  sight.  The  birds  seemed  crowd- 
ing each  other  on  every  inch  of  space.  Each 
moment  some  of  them  would  rise,  wheel  in 
air    with    wild  cries  and    screams,  and    then 


144  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

settle  again  to  dispute  for  room,  while  the 
seething  foam  splashed  over  them ;  and  the 
incessant  flutter  of  their  wings,  the  dashing 
spray,  and  the  long  wash  of  waves  at  the  base 
of  the  rock  gave  to  their  place  of  refuge  the 
effect  of  movement,  so  that  it  seemed  to  sway 
and  float  in  the  sea. 

"  Oh,  what  a  wonderful  place  !  "  cried  Can- 
dace.  "  Such  big  birds,  and  so  many  of  them, 
—  what  do  you  call  them,  Captain  ?" 

"  Waal,  they  're  mostly  cormorants  and 
gulls,  I  reckon.  That 's  what  we  call  them 
down  to  Newport.  They  ain't  no  good  for 
eating,  so  they  don't  get  shot ;  and  they 
do  increase  powerfully,  though  it  seems  to 
me  I  never  did  see  quite  so  many  on  the 
Kettle  Bottom  before  as  this  afternoon." 

u  Is  that  the  name  of  the  rock?" 

"Yes,  the  Kettle  Bottom  Rock;  that's 
what  it's  called.  It's  a  queer  place.  There 
was  a  painter  here  last  summer,  and  he 
made  a  picter  of  it,  with  them  birds  all 
flying  over  it,  which  folks  said  was  as  like 
as  like." 


DOWN   TO    BEAVER   TAIL.  145 

The  line  of  hotels  on  Narragansett  Beach 
was  now  plainly  in  sight.  They  were  almost 
off  Beaver  Tail,  and  the  sea  was  rougher. 

"  Captain,  we  may  as  wTell  put  about/'  said 
Tom  Joy.  "  The  sun 's  going  down,  and 
there's  rather  more  motion  hereabouts  than 
the  ladies  like." 

So  they  put  about  and  sped  harborward, 
helped  by  the  tide  which  was  now  running 
swiftly  in.  Frank  Bivington  began  to  sing 
in  a  mellow  tenor  voice  little  barcarolles  and 
Venetian  boat-songs,  which  were  full  of  a 
measured  rhythmic  movement  like  oar-strokes 
and  the  beat  of  waves.  The  pink  in  the  west 
deepened  after  the  sun  went  down  to  a  vivid 
orange  red,  and  flamed  higher  and  higher  till 
the  zenith  caught  the  glow ;  and  a  little  cres- 
cent moon,  which  was  climbing  up,  swung 
like  a  tiny  silver  boat  on  a  crimson  tide.  It 
was  all  like  a  dream,  to  which  the  noiseless 
speed  of  the  boat  offered  no  interruption. 

"Good-night,  Captain,"  said  Candace,  gen- 
tly, as  the  "  Cornelia "  touched  the  wharf,  at 
the  upper  end  of  which  the  carriages  were 

10 


146  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

waiting  for  them.  "  I  'm  so  much  obliged  to 
you  for  telling  me  all  about  the  things." 

"You're  welcome,  I'm  sure/'  replied  the 
hearty  Captain.  "  It 's  been  nothing  but  a 
pleasure  so  far  as  I  'm  concerned.  Hope  I 
may  take  you  out  sailing  again,  Miss." 

"Oh,  I  hope  so.    I  think  sailing  is  lovely." 

"  Good-by,  Miss  Arden.  I  hope  you  have 
enjoyed  it,"  said  Mrs.  Allen,  as  she  was  borne 
off  by  her  husband.  It  was  the  sole  remark 
addressed  by  the  "  matron "  of  the  party  to 
the  little  stranger  under  her  care  during 
that  afternoon ;  but  Candace  had  not  felt 
neglected. 

"  Oh,  yes ;  very  much,  thank  you,"  she 
replied.  Tom  Joy,  who  had  waked  up  to 
the  sense  that  "  the  little  girl  in  the  red  hat " 
had  not  had  much  attention  paid  her  on  the 
sail,  tried  to  get  up  a  conversation  as  the 
beach-wagon  climbed  the  hill ;  but  Candace 
had  but  little  small  talk  at  her  command,  and 
they  did  not  get  on  very  fluently. 

"  I  ?ve  had  a  lovely  time,  Miss  Joy,"  she 
said  shyly,  as  they  were  set  down  at  home. 


DOWN   TO    BEAVER   TAIL.  147 

"I'm  sure  I'm  glad.  Good-night,  Miss 
Arden."  And  that  was  all  the  notice  which 
Berenice  Joy  took  of  her  youngest  guest, 
beyond  the  necessary  good-afternoon  when 
they  first  met  on  the  wharf. 

Candace  was  too  unexacting,  and  too  much 
accustomed  to  think  of  herself  as  a  child  to 
whom  no  particular  attention  was  due,  to 
realize  or  resent  being  treated  with  this  scant 
courtesy.  She  told  Cousin  Kate  about  the 
sail  and  the  seine  steamer,  and  all  the  Cap- 
tain's tales  and  explanations,  with  a  glow  of 
enjoyment  which  surprised  Gertrude,  and  per- 
haps pricked  her  conscience  somewhat;  for 
that  night,  at  hair-brushing  time,  she  surprised 
Georgie  by  the  observation,  "After  all,  Cannie 
is  quite  a  sweet  little  thing." 

"  So  she  is,  sweet  enough ;  but  what  makes 
you  think  of  it  just  now?" 

"  Why,  we  rather  left  her  out  this  after- 
noon, I  am  afraid.  Hardly  anybody  said  a 
word  to  her,  except  the  Captain.  It  was 
rude  enough  of  Berry,  for  it  was  her  party ; 
but  I  think  it  was  worse  for  us.     Any  other 


148  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

girl  would  have  been  hurt  and  cross,  and 
showed  it ;  but  Cannie  never  seemed  to  mind 
a  bit,  and  enjoyed  everything,  and  was  just 
as  nice  and  pleasant  as  if  she  had  been  the 
belle  of  the  party." 

"  Well,  it  was  too  bad,"  said  Georgie,  peni- 
tently. "I  never  thought  about  it,  and  I 
sat  ever  so  far  off  from  her,  and  Arnold 
Foster  was  so  funny  —  in  fact,  I  forgot  Can- 
nie. I  took  it  for  granted  that  she  was  being 
entertained,  somehow." 

"  I  'm  afraid  both  of  us  find  it  pretty  easy 
to  forget  Cannie,"  remarked  Gertrude.  "Well, 
I  shall  try  to  do  better  another  time." 


A   TALK  ABOUT   SHYNESS.  149 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A   TALK  ABOUT    SHYNESS. 

|ANNIE,"   said   Mrs.   Gray,  a  few 
days    after    the    sailing  -  party, 
"  would  you  like  to  study  French 
this   summer,   with    Marian   for 
company  ?  " 

"Y-es,"  replied  Cannie;  but  she  said  it 
more  because  she  saw  that  a  yes  was  ex- 
pected of  her,  than  because  of  any  real  pleas- 
ure at  the  idea.  Like  most  girls  who  have 
had  scanty  or  poor  teaching,  she  liked  to  read 
a  great  deal  better  than  she  liked  to  study. 

"  Do  you  know  any  French  at  all  ?  "  con- 
tinued her  cousin. 

"No,  not  any.  There  wasn't  anybody  at 
home  who  taught  it ;  and  if  there  had  been, 
I  don't  believe  Aunt  Myra  would  have  let  me 
learn.  She  thinks  English  is  a  good  enough 
language  for  anybody.     I  did  study  Latin  a 


150  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

little  while,  though.  Aunt  Myra  consented  to 
that,  because  we  had  papa's  Latin  books  in 
the  house,  and  she  said  they  might  as  well  be 
useful." 

"  Well,  your  Latin  won't  come  amiss  to 
your  French,"  said  Mrs.  Gray,  laughing  to 
herself  over  this  thrifty  reason  for  learning  a 
language.  "  Marian  is,  of  course,  far  ahead 
of  you  in  speaking,  for  she  learned  it  by  ear, 
as  they  say  of  music,  during  the  year  we 
spent  in  France  on  our  way  home;  but  she 
knows  but  little  of  the  rules  and  grammar. 
I  think  you  will  do  very  well  together ;  for 
her  fluency  will  tempt  you  on  to  talk,  and 
your  perseverance  will  keep  her  up  to  the 
exercises  and  conjugations,  which  are  sad 
drudgery,  but  very  needful  if  you  are  ever 
really  to  know  anything  of  the  language. 
You  are  persevering,  are  you  not,  Cannie  ?  " 

"I  don't  know  whether  I  am  or  not," 
replied  Candace,  inly  resolving  to  justify 
Cousin  Kate's  good  opinion. 

"  I  have  confidence  in  you,"  said  Mrs.  Gray, 
smiling  kindly  at  her.     "  And  another  thing  I 


A   TALK   ABOUT   SHYNESS.  151 

wanted  to  say  is,  that  I  think  both  you  and 
Marian  will  enjoy  the  summer  a  great  deal 
better  for  having  one  regular  study  to  pre- 
pare for.  It  gives  a  sort  of  backbone  to  your 
lives,  don't  you  see  ?  Clear  fun  is  like  clear 
honey,  —  it  cloys  and  loses  its  charm ;  but 
when  it  is  mixed  with  occupation  it  keeps 
its  flavor,  and  you  don't  get  tired  of  it." 

"I  can  understand  that,"  said  Candace, 
thoughtfully.  "I  recollect  how  nice  Saturday 
afternoons  used  to  seem  when  Aunt  Myra 
had  kept  me  busy  darning  stockings  all  the 
morning.  I  think  I  would  like  the  French 
lessons,  Cousin  Kate  ;  only  I  am  afraid  the 
teacher  will  think  me  very  stupid.'  \ 

Cand ace's  fears  were  not  realized.  As  a  be- 
ginner, her  first  steps  were  necessarily  slow ; 
but  she  took  pains,  and  had  no  bad  habits 
or  evil  accents  to  unlearn,  and  after  a  while 
she  "got  hold"  of  the  language  and  went  on 
more  rapidly.  Marian's  fluent  chatter  stimu- 
lated her  to  try  to  talk  as  fast  also,  though 
Mademoiselle  Bougereau,  their  teacher,  found 
a  great  deal  of  fault  with  Marian,  and  said 


152  A   LITTLE   COUNTRY   GIRL. 

that  many  of  the  phrases  which  came  so 
glibly  out  of  her  mouth  partook  of  the  nature 
of  slang,  and  were  not  finished  or  elegant 
French.  Still,  with  all  drawbacks,  the  little 
class  of  two  made  fair  progress ;  and  Candace 
realized  that  what  Mrs.  Gray  had  said  was 
true,  and  that  all  the  bits  of  amusement  and 
pleasure  which  came  in  her  way  were  doubly 
enjoyed  by  reason  of  the  little  "backbone  " 
of  real  work  thus  put  into  her  days. 

Another  pleasure  which  she  and  Marian 
shared  in  common  was  a  surf-bath  before 
breakfast.  Berry  Joy  had  got  up  an  omnibus 
party  of  girls,  which  she  called  "  The  Early 
Dip  Club,"  in  which  all  four  of  Mrs.  Gray's 
young  people  were  included.  Punctually  at 
a  quarter  before  seven  on  every  fair  morning 
the  omnibus  rattled  up  the  Avenue ;  and  the 
"  Club  "  set  out,  under  the  care  of  an  old  ex- 
perienced maid  of  Mrs.  Joy's,  who  had  nursed 
Berry,  and  could  be  trusted  to  see  that  none 
of  the  young  ladies  did  anything  very  impru- 
dent, —  such  as  staying  too  long  in  the  water 
or  standing  about  in  their  wet  bathing-dresses. 


A   TALK  ABOUT   SHYNESS.  153 

At  that  early  hour  there  were  no  loungers  to 
stare  at  the  party.  The  beach,  cleanly  swept 
by  the  tide  of  the  night  before,  had  scarcely 
a  footprint  to  mar  its  smooth,  firm  sands. 
There  was  something  delightful  in  the  perfect 
freshness  of  the  hour  and  place.  Some  of  the 
girls  had  taken  lessons  in  the  "  School  of 
Natation"  in  the  lower  bay,  and  could  swim 
very  well.  Candace  could  not  swim,  and  made 
no  attempt  to  learn;  but  she  soon  acquired 
the  art  of  floating,  under  the  tuition  of  Alice 
Frewen,  who,  next  to  Marian  and  herself, 
was  the  youngest  of  the  party,  and  to  whom 
she  had  taken  a  great  fancy.  The  three 
"children,"  as  Berenice  Joy  called  them,  made 
common  cause,  and  generally  kept  together, 
a  little  apart  from  the  others,  holding  each 
other's  hands  and  splashing  up  and  down  in 
the  rollers  with  great  enjoyment. 

Bathing  over,  the  "Early  Dippers"  returned 
home  in  their  omnibus  about  the  time  that 
other  people  were  waking  up,  bringing  with 
them  such  cheeks  and  such  appetites  as 
were  a  satisfaction  to  their  families,  and  did 


154  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

great  credit  to  the  powers   of  the  Newport 
surf. 

So  the  days  sped  on.  It  was  full  summer- 
tide  now ;  yet  the  weather  never  seemed  hot, 
except  perhaps  for  an  hour  or  two  at  a  time. 
Morning  after  morning  the  sun  would  rise  in 
a  blaze  of  yellow,  which  anywhere  else  would 
have  betokened  a  scorching  day;  and  just 
as  people  had  begun  to  say,  "  What  a  sultry 
morning  !  "  lo,  in  one  moment  the  wind  would 
set  in  from  the  sea,  strong,  salty,  fresh,  in- 
vigorating ;  and,  behold,  it  was  cool !  Or  if 
the  afternoon  seemed  for  a  little  while  op- 
pressive in  the  streets  of  the  old  town,  it  was 
only  necessary  to  go  down  to  the  end  of  the 
Avenue  to  find  a  temperature  cool  enough  to 
be  called  chilly.  Nobody  ever  thought  of  driv- 
ing without  a  shawl,  and  the  shawl  was  almost 
always  needed.  Mrs.  Gray  was  wont  to  say 
that  Newport  had  three  different  climates,  — 
a  warm  one  and  a  cold  one  and  an  in-between 
one,  —  and  it  had  them  all  three  every  day, 
and  people  could  take  their  choice,  which  was 
much  more  convenient  than  having  only  one. 


A   TALK   ABOUT   SHYNESS.  155 

The  large  places  on  the  Cliffs  were  all 
open  and  occupied  now.  The  flower-beds, 
newly  planted  when  Candace  came,  made 
wonderful  spaces  of  color  everywhere  in  the 
emerald  turf.  Geraniums  seemed  as  univer- 
sal as  grass,  and  their  splendid  reds  and 
pinks  were  such  as  are  seldom  seen  anywhere 
except  in  Newport.  Foliage  plants  grew  in- 
to enormous  crimson  or  golden  mats,  which 
showed  not  one  break  in  their  luxuriant  ful- 
ness. In  the  more  ornate  places  were  beds 
planted  to  look  like  Turkish  carpets  or  Indian 
shawls,  the  pattern  reproduced  by  hundreds 
of  small  plants  of  carefully  adjusted  hues, 
kept  closely  shaven  so  as  to  lie  as  flat  as  the 
objects  they  simulated.  Roses  were  every- 
where ;  and  the  soft  drifting  mists  which  now 
and  again  blew  in  from  the  sea,  and  the  con- 
stant underlying  moisture  of  the  climate  kept 
everything  in  a  state  of  perfect  freshness. 

The  Casino  balls  and  lawn-tennis  matches 
had  begun.  Visitors  were  pouring  into  the 
Ocean  House ;  and  every  day  increased  the 
number  of  carriages,  drags,  dog-carts,  pony 


156  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

phaetons,  and  village  carts,  which  on  all 
bright  afternoons  thronged  the  Avenue  from 
end  to  end.  Dinners  and  lawn-parties  were 
of  frequent  occurrence,  and  during  calling- 
hours  the  bell  seemed  always  in  vibration  at 
the  Gray  cottage.  — "  Cottage"  I  call  it;  for 
in  Newport  everything  that  is  not  a  "  villa  " 
is  styled  a  "  cottage,"  no  matter  how  big 
or  square  or  uncompromising  its  appearance 
may  be. 

Candace  was  rather  too  young  to  be  taken 
into  general  society,  and  she  saw  much  less 
of  these  entertainments  than  Georgie ;  less 
even  than  Gertrude,  who,  by  reason  of  her 
intimacy  with  Georgie's  set,  was  often  in- 
cluded in  their  parties,  though  not  yet  for- 
mally u  out."  Mrs.  Gray,  however,  thought 
it  good  for  Candace  to  share  a  little  of  what 
was  going  on;  and  she  took  pains  to  have 
her  invited  now  and  then  with  the  others  to 
lawn-parties,  excursions,  or  afternoon  teas.  If 
Mrs.  Gray  herself  was  present  on  these  occa- 
sions, Cannie  did  pretty  well ;  for  she  invaria- 
bly got  behind  her  cousin  or  beside  her,  made 


A   TALK   ABOUT    SHYNESS.  157 

no  attempt  to  talk,  and  just  amused  herself 
by  watching  what  went  on.  But  when  Mrs. 
Gray  did  not  go,  and  she  was  left  to  the  ten- 
der mercies  of  Georgie  and  Gertrude,  she  was 
apt  to  feel  lonely  and  unfriended ;  for  with 
all  the  better  resolutions  of  these  pleasure- 
loving  young  people,  they  still  found  it  "  easy 
to  forget  Cannie." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  this  morn- 
ing, children  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Gray,  one  day  at 
breakfast.  "  Is  the  great  tennis-match  that 
we  have  heard  so  much  about  to  come  off,  or 
have  I  forgotten  the  date  ?  " 

"  No,  this  is  the  eventful  day,"  replied 
Gertrude ;  "  and  I  am  so  nervous  about  it 
that  I  don't  feel  as  if  I  could  play  at  all." 

"  Nonsense !  you  played  beautifully  yes- 
terday," said  Georgie. 

>  "  There  was  n't  anything  depending  on  me 
yesterday.  It  is  queer  how  people  never 
do  their  best  when  it  is  important  that  they 
should.  I  feel  as  if  I  were  going  to  be  all 
thumbs  this  morning." 

"  Oh,  you  won't.     You  '11  get  excited  and 


158  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

forget  about  the  thumbs/'  remarked  Georgie, 
consolingly.  "  Mamma,  are  n't  you  coming  to 
see  us  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  think  I  shall ;  and  I  will  bring  Can- 
nie  with  me.    She  has  n't  seen  the  Casino  yet." 

Candace  had  become  familiar  with  the 
street  side  of  the  pretty  Casino  building,  and 
admired  greatly  its  long  facade,  with  the 
quaintly  shingled  curves  and  balconies,  and 
the  low  gables,  ornamented  with  disks  and 
half  suns  in  dull  gilding,  —  all  looking,  Mrs. 
Gray  said,  as  old  as  if  it  had  stood  there  for 
a  couple  of  centuries,  instead  of  for  three  or 
four  years  only.  But  the  street  side,  pictu- 
resque as  it  is,  had  by  no  means  prepared 
her  for  what  she  saw  as  she  followed  her 
cousin  through  the  entrance  hall  and  into 
the  quadrangle  beyond. 

What  did  she  see?  An  open  space  of 
greenest  turf,  broken  only  by  two  long  curv- 
ing beds  of  foliage  plants  and  a  stone  basin 
from  which  a  fountain  threw  up  a  cool  jet 
to  refresh  the  air.  On  either  hand,  and  on 
the  side   from  which  they  had  entered,  was 


A   TALK  ABOUT    SHYNESS.  159 

a  line  of  low  buildings,  with  balconies  and 
grilles  of  quaintly  designed  wood-work,  win- 
dows filled  with  oddly  tinted  glass,  and  at 
one  point  a  clock  tower  of  rough  masonry, 
over  which  vines  were  clustering.  Connect- 
ing the  buildings  to  right  and  left,  was  a 
raised  covered  gallery,  semi-circular  in  shape, 
with  a  second  gallery  overhead ;  and  on  these 
ladies  in  fresh  morning  toilettes  were  sitting, 
some  with  pieces  of  embroidery  in  their  hands, 
others  collected  in  knots  for  conversation  or 
to  listen  to  the  music  of  the  band. 

Beyond  this  gallery  lay  another  and  much 
larger  quadrangle,  with  lines  of  trees  and 
shrubs  to  veil  its  boundaries,  on  which  lawn- 
tennis  was  being  played  in  five  or  six  courts 
at  once.  At  the  back  of  this  quadrangle  was 
another  long  low  building,  in  the  same  pic- 
turesque style  as  the  rest,  which,  Mrs.  Gray 
explained,  contained  on  one  side  a  charming 
little  theatre  which  could  also  be  used  as  a 
ball-room,  and  on  the  other  an  admirable 
bowling-alley  and  racket-court  for  the  use  of 
the  members.     The  band   was   playing   gay 


160  A   LITTLE    COUNTKY    GIEL. 

music ;  a  hum  of  conversation  filled  the  air ; 
pretty  girls  in  white  or  blue  or  rose  color  were 
moving  about ;  the  wind  drew  with  delicious 
coolness  through  the  galleries  ;  altogether  it 
would  have  been  hard  to  find  on  a  summer 
morning  a  prettier  place  or  a  livelier  scene. 

Mrs.  Gray  was  too  much  of  a  favorite  not 
to  be  at  once  sought  out.  She  was  soon  the 
centre  of  a  little  group  of  friends ;  and  Can- 
dace  sat  beside  her,  silent  as  usual,  but  gazing 
with  enchanted  eyes  at  the  animated  figures 
on  the  tennis  ground,  at  the  gables  and  log- 
gias of  the  restaurant  building,  at  the  curious 
clock-tower,  with  the  heavy  iron  rings  depend- 
ing above  the  base,  and  its  top  like  a  bell- 
flower.  It  was  all  like  a  fairy  tale  to  her. 
Her  imagination  was  actively  at  work,  but 
no  one  would  have  guessed  it  from  her  quiet 
little  face ;  and  when  Mrs.  Gray  introduced 
her  to  one  person  and  another,  she  shrank 
into  herself,  and  after  her  shy  little  bow  and 
a  How  do  you  do  ?  "  relapsed  again  into  still- 
ness, and  made  no  attempt  to  keep  up  a  con- 
versation.    People  were  kind  j  but  it  is  always 


A   TALK   ABOUT    SHYNESS.  161 

easy  to  secure  solitude  in  a  crowd,  and  Cannie 
soon  found  herself  let  alone  to  her  heart's 
content. 

Gertrude  was  playing  her  best.  Her  ner- 
vousness had  disappeared  in  the  excitement 
of  the  game,  as  Georgie  had  predicted  that  it 
would,  and  some  of  her  strokes  were  so  clever 
as  to  win  a  little  volley  of  applause  from 
the  by-standers.  Candace  did  not  know  the 
game  well  enough  to  appreciate  fine  points 
of  play,  but  she  could  perfectly  appreciate 
the  fun  of  winning;  and  when  Gertrude, 
flushed  and  radiant,  came  to  show  her  mother 
the  prize  she  had  won,  a  lace  pin  of  gold  fili- 
gree in  the  form  of  a  racket,  Cannie's  face 
lighted  up  with  a  bright  sympathy  which  was 
pleasant  to  see.  A  lady  who  had  been  watch- 
ing her  whispered  to  Mrs.  Gray,  "What  a 
sweet  face  that  little  niece  of  yours  has !  " 

"So  she  has,"  replied  Mrs.  Gray;  "only 
she  is  so  very  timid.  She  never  does  her- 
self justice." 

"  Is  it  timidity  ?  I  had  a  fancy  that  she  had 
an  unhappy  temper,  or  was  troubled  about 

11 


162  A  LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

something.  Her  face  has  always  seemed  so 
sad  and  overcast  till  just  now,  when  it  lit  up 
at  Gertrude's  good  fortune,  and  then  I  caught 
the  true  expression." 

Mrs.  Gray  recollected  this  remark  as  she 
drove  home  with  Candace,  who,  perfectly  at 
ease  now  that  she  was  alone  with  her  cousin 
Kate,  chattered  and  laughed  like  any  other 
girl,  and  showed  herself  the  happy  young 
thing  that  she  was.  At  home,  even  when 
with  Georgie  and  Gertrude,  she  was  no  lon- 
ger shy;  but  the  moment  a  stranger  came  in, 
all  was  changed.  It  was  like  an  evil  spell  cast 
by  some  enchanter.  The  pleasant  smile  and 
simple  childish  manner  vanished,  and  Cannie 
became  stiff,  cold,  awkward  even ;  for  her  dis- 
comfort made  her  feel  constrained  in  every 
limb  and  muscle.  Her  manner  grew  frigid, 
because  she  was  frightened  and  wanted  to 
hide  it.  If  she  had  to  shake  hands,  she  did 
it  without  smiling  and  with  downcast  eyes ; 
she  was  too  ill  at  ease  to  be  cordial.  People 
thought  that  she  was  out  of  humor  or  troubled 
about  something,  and  set  her  down  as  dull  and 


A   TALK   ABOUT   SHYNESS.  163 

unattractive ;  and  with  a  natural  reaction,  Can- 
nie  felt  that  they  did  not  like  her,  and  that 
made  her  more  uncomfortable  than  ever. 

Mrs.  Gray  pitied  Cannie  very  much,  and 
had  tried  various  methods  to  shake  her  out 
of  her  shyness  and  teach  her  confidence 
in  herself.  None  of  them  so  far  had  done 
any  good.  She  now  began  to  wonder  if 
her  analysis  of  the  case  was  not  wrong;  if 
shyness  was  not  a  fault  rather  than  a  mis- 
fortune, and  needed  to  be  disciplined  accord- 
ingly. She  watched  Candace  for  a  day  or 
two,  and  then  she  made  up  her  mind.  "  It 
will  be  kill  or  cure,"  she  thought,  as  she 
ordered  the  coupe  and  proposed  to  Cannie  to 
take  the  ocean  drive.  Marian  wanted  to  go 
too,  and  protested  that  there  was  plenty  of 
room  on  the  little  let-down  seat,  and  that  she 
would  n't  crowd  them  a  bit ;  but  her  mother 
was  quite  firm,  and  despatched  her  on  an 
errand  in  the  other  direction  without  any 
compunctions. 

"  I  must  have  Cannie  all  to  myself,"  she 
thought. 


164  A   LITTLE  .  COUNTRY   GIRL. 

It  was  not  till  they  were  out  of  the  Avenue 
and  rolling  along  the  smooth  road  beyond 
Bailey's  Beach,  with  the  fresh-water  ponds 
on  one  hand  and  on  the  other  the  points 
and  indentations  of  the  coast,  that  Mrs.  Gray 
led  to  the  subject  which  was  on  her  mind. 
The  sea  was  intensely  blue  that  afternoon, 
with  shoots  of  creamy  foam  over  every  rock 
and  ledge,  and  for  a  while  they  talked  of 
nothing  but  the  beauty  of  the  day  and  the 
view.     Finally  Mrs.  Gray  began,  — 

"  How  did  you  like  Mrs.  Endicott  ?  " 

Mrs.  Endicott  was  one  of  various  visitors 
who  had  called  that  morning.  Candace  had 
been  sent  for,  and  had  been  more  than  usu- 
ally awkward  and  unresponsive. 

"  I  liked  her  pretty  well,"  said  Candace. 
"  She  did  n't  talk  to  me  but  a  little  while." 

"  I  know  she  did  n't.  It  was  on  her  ac- 
count specially  that  I  sent  for  you  to  come 
down,"  continued  Mrs.  Gray.  "  Did  she  tell 
you  that  she  was  at  school  with  your  mother 
when  they  were  quite  little  girls  ?  " 

"  No  !  "  said  Candace,  surprised. 


A   TALK   ABOUT    SHYNESS.  165 

"  Yes  ;  they  were  great  friends,  and  she 
wrote  to  me  before  she  came  up  that  she  was 
looking  forward  to  seeing  you.  Shall  I  tell 
you  why  she  so  soon  stopped  talking  to  you  ? 
She  told  me  afterward.  She  said  :  '  I  wanted 
to  talk  to  your  niece  about  her  mother,  and 
to  ask  her  to  come  to  me  for  a  visit;  but 
she  looked  so  frightened  and  seemed  so  stiff 
and  shy  and  hard  to  get  at,  that  I  thought 
the  kindest  thing  I  could  do  would  be  to  let 
her  alone  for  the  moment,  till  she  was  a  little 
more  used  to  me,  and  to  talk  to  some  one 
else.  Next  time  I  come,  we  shall  get  on 
better,  I  hope.'" 

Candace  looked  much  mortified. 

"Was  I  stiff?"  she  asked.  "I  didn't 
know  it.     I  didn't  mean  to  be." 

"  You  are  almost  always  stiff  with  stran- 
gers," said  her  cousin.  "  I  know  you  do 
not  mean  it,  and  you  are  not  conscious  of 
the  effect  of  your  own  manner;  but  all  the 
same  it  is  stiff.  Now,  Cannie,  will  you 
promise  me  not  to  be  hurt  at  what  I  am 
going  to  say  ?  " 


166  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

"  Why,  of  course  I  won't/'  said  Cannie, 
looking  at  her  with  trustful  eyes. 

"Well  then,  listen!  If  I  didn't  know 
you,  —  if  you  were  not  my  own  dear  little 
Cannie,  whose  warm  heart  I  am  sure  of,  and 
whose  good  intentions  I  know  all  about,— -if 
I  met  you  for  the  first  time  and  judged  of  you 
merely  from  your  manner,  as  all  strangers 
must  judge,  —  do  you  know  what  I  should 
think  ?  " 

"What?" 

"  I  should  think  you  rather  a  cold-hearted 
girl,  who  did  n't  like  people  and  did  n't  mind 
letting  them  know  it." 

"  Oh,  Cousin  Kate  !  " 

"Or  else,  if  I  were  more  charitably  in- 
clined, I  should  think  you  a  dull  girl  who 
did  not  take  much  interest  in  what  went  on 
about  her." 

"  Oh,  Cousin  Kate  !  " 

"  Or,"  continued  her  cousin,  relentlessly, 
"  if  I  were  a  real  angel,  and  disposed  to  make 
the  very  best  of  everybody,  I  should  say  to 
myself,  \  The  poor   thing  is  so  shy  that  she 


A   TALK   ABOUT    SHYNESS.  167 

can't  show  what  she  really  is/  Unluckily, 
there  are  few  perfect  angels  in  this  world,  and 
a  great  many  of  the  other  sort.  And  even  as 
a  perfect  angel,  my  dear  Cannie,  I  don't  think 
I  should  consider  you  exactly  agreeable." 

"  But  what  can  I  do  ?"  demanded  Candace, 
looking  very  unhappy.  "  I  can't  make  my- 
self not  shy." 

"  No  ;  but  you  can  mend  matters  by  forcing 
yourself  to  hide  your  shyness.  I  have  been 
meditating  on  the  subject,  Cannie,  and  I  have 
made  up  my  mind  that  shyness  is  one  form 
of  selfishness/' 

"  Cousin  Kate,  how  can  you  say  that  ?  I 
thought  selfishness  was  doing  what  you  liked 
and  what  is  pleasant.  I  'm  sure  I  don't  like 
to  be  shy/' 

"  Oh,  it 's  not  that  kind  of  selfishness,"  said 
Mrs.  Gray,  smiling.  "  There  is  nothing  pleas- 
ant about  shyness ;  that  I  am  quite  ready  to 
admit.  But  can't  you  see  that  it  is  self- 
occupation,  the  being  absorbed  with  your  own 
sensations  and  feelings,  and  with  trying  to 
imagine  what  people  are  thinking  about- you. 


168  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

that  makes  you  so  miserable  ?  If  you  could 
forget  and  occupy  yourself  with  others,  this 
shyness  would  go.  Now,  this  morning,  had 
you  been  full  of  Mrs.  Endicott,  and  what  she 
was  like,  and  what  she  wanted  to  talk  about, 
instead  of  little  Candace  Arden,  and  what 
Mrs.  Endicott  considered  her  like,  it  would 
all  have  been  different,  and  much  pleasanter 
for  both  of  you." 

"  Oh,  if  I  only  could,"  said  Candace,  with 
a  catch  in  her  voice,  u  I  would  give  anything 
I  have  in  the  world !  I  hate  to  seem  so 
awkward  and  dull.  But  you've  no  idea  how 
uncomfortable  I  feel,  Cousin  Kate.  The  mo- 
ment I  come  downstairs  and  see  that  room- 
ful of  company,  my  face  twitches  and  my 
cheeks  burn,  and  I  can't  think  of  anything  to 
say,  and  I  keep  wishing  I  could  run  upstairs 
again  and  hide  somewhere." 

"  Yes,  because,  as  I  said,  your  mind  is  full 
of  yourself.  If  instead  of  coming  in  with  this 
miserable  self-consciousness  full  upon  you, 
you  could  look  upon  the  roomful  as  just  so 
many   people  to  whom   you   owe    the  little 


A   TALK   ABOUT    SHYNESS.  169 

duties  of  politeness  and  cordiality,  for  whom 
you  have  the  chance  to  do  something  kind 
or  pleasant,  you  would  forget  your  face  and 
your  cheeks  and  the  desire  to  run  away.  You 
would  be  thinking  of  them,  and  in  thinking 
of  them  you  would  forget  to  be  shy." 

Candace  did  not  reply. 

"  You  are  a  conscientious  child,"  her  cousin 
went  on.  "  I  think  tha.t  you  sincerely  wish  to 
do  what  is  right,  and  to  make  God's  rule  the 
rule  of  your  life.  And,  Candace,  in  my  opin- 
ion yon  should  consider  it  a  part  of  religious 
duty  to  try  to  get  rid  of  this  false  shame,  this 
bondage  to  the  idea  of  self,  and  to  learn  to 
live  for  others  instead." 

Candace  looked  up,  with  the  dawn  of  a 
new  idea  in  her  face. 

"How  do  you  mean?"  she  asked. 

"You  cannot  always  run  away,"  continued 
her  cousin.  "  Big  as  it  is,  the  world  is  not 
big  enough  to  furnish  hiding-places  for  all 
the  people  who  are  afraid  to  face  their  fellow- 
men.  And  since  you  cannot  run  away,  your 
plain  duty  is  to  be  brave  and  make  the  best 


170  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

of  it.  Now,  Cannie,  there  are  two  things 
which  may  help  you  to  do  this,  two  thoughts 
which  you  can  keep  in  mind  ;  and  I  wish  you 
wrould  try  to  remember  them  when  you  feel 
a  fit  of  fright  or  of  stiffness  coming  on." 

"What  are  they?" 

"  One  is,  that  you  are  but  one  little  insig- 
nificant atom  among  thousands.  People  are 
not  thinking  about  you  or  noticing  you  very 
particularly.  You  are  not  of  much  conse- 
quence except  to  yourself  and  the  few  friends 
who  love  you.  This  would  be  a  mortifying 
fact,  if  vanity  were  your  trouble ;  but  as  it  is 
not,  it  is  a  comfortable  one.  And  just  as  no- 
body notices  you  specially,  so  all  the  world  is 
not  engaged  afterward  in  recollecting  all  your 
little  mistakes  and  the  stupid  things  you  have 
said.  Unless  you  have  done  something  very 
queer,  they  forget  about  you  as  soon  as  they 
lose  sight  of  you.  I  know  what  miseries  sen- 
sitive girls  undergo  in  thinking  over  their 
foolish  speeches  and  actions,  and  imagining 
that  6very  one  remembers  them  as  distinctly 
as  they  themselves  do." 


A   TALK   ABOUT    SHYNESS.  171 

Cannie  could  n't  help  smiling.  "  Cousin 
Kate,  how  can  you  know  about  all  those 
things  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Because  I  was  a  girl  myself  once,  and  as 
foolish  as  any  of  the  rest  of  you ;  and  I  have 
not  forgotten  how  it  feels  to  be  a  girl,"  said 
her  cousin,  gayly.  "  That  is  the  use  of  grow- 
ing old,  Cannie.  You  can  show  the  way  to 
younger  people,  and  make  the  road  you  have 
walked  over  a  little  easier  for  them.  —  But 
to  go  back  to  what  we  were  talking  about. 
Our  own  insignificance  is  one  helpful  thought, 
as  I  said  ;  the  other  is,  that  kindliness  is  one 
of  the  Christian  virtues,  and  it  is  just  as  much 
a  duty  to  practise  it  as  it  is  to  be  honest  and 
temperate." 

Candace  drew  a  long  breath. 

"  It  would  be  perfectly  delightful  to  keep 
thinking  like  that  always,''  she  said ;  "  the 
only  thing  is  that  I  am  afraid  I  should  forget 
when  the  time  came.  I  wish  you  could  give 
me  an  exact  rule,  Cousin  Kate,  just  what  to 
say  and  how  to  act.  I  would  try  ever  so 
hard  to  follow  it." 


172  A   LITTLE    COUNTKY    GIKL. 

"  I  know  you  would/'  said  Mrs.  Gray ; 
"  but  there  is  no  exact  rule  that  I  can  give, 
except  the  Golden  one,  to  do  to  others  just 
as  you  would  like  them  to  do  to  you.  If  you 
feel  stiff,  be  sure  to  look  cordial.  Smile,  and 
shake  hands  as  if  you  meant  it.  Try  to  look 
interested  in  what  people  are  saying  to  you. 
A  good  listener  helps  on  conversation  as  well 
as  a  good  talker.  If  you  are  friendly  and  warm 
in  your  manner,  other  people  will  warm  to 
you  instinctively.  Try  it,  Cannie,  and  see 
if  I  am  not  right.  And  now  we  will  not  talk 
any  more  about  ourselves  or  our  shyness,  but 
drive  into  the  Fort  and  listen  to  the  music. 
I  caught  a  strain  from  the  Band  just  then,  and 
I  recollect  that  this  is  a  *  Fort  Day/  " 

So  in  they  drove,  clattered  between  walls 
and  embankments,  and  over  a  steep  paved 
incline  beneath  a  great  arch,  and  found  them- 
selves in  an  open  square,  with  buildings  of 
solid  masonry  on  all  sides,  in  the  midst  of 
which  the  band  was  stationed.  Other  car- 
riages were  drawn  up  to  listen  to  the  music, 
and  officers  in  uniform  were  coming  and  going, 


A   TALK   ABOUT    SHYNESS.  173 

and  talking  to  the  ladies  in  the  carriages. 
One  of  these  officers,  a  nice  old  Major,  with 
a  bald  spot  under  his  gold-banded  cap,  knew 
Mrs.  Gray,  and  came  to  welcome  her.  His 
a  girls"  were  gone  over  to  Newport  to  a 
lawn-party,  he  said  ;  but  he  insisted  on  taking 
Mrs.  Gray  and  Cannie  in  to  see  their  quar- 
ters, which  were  in  a  casemate,  in  close  neigh- 
borhood to  one  of  the  great  guns.  Here  he 
brewed  them  a  delicious  cup  of  tea  ;  and  after- 
ward, at  Mrs.  Gray's  request,  he  took  Candace 
to  see  the  magazines,  and  some  of  the  curious 
underground  passages  which  connect  one  side 
of  the  Fort  with  the  other.  Cannie  thought 
these  extremely  interesting,  and  like  all  the 
caves  on  desert  islands  which  she  had  ever 
read  about ;  for  they  were  narrow,  dark,  and 
mysterious,  they  smelt  very  close,  and  all  sorts 
of  odd  funguses  and  formations  were  grow- 
ing on  the  roofs  overhead. 

These  adventures  chased  the  worry  from 
her  mind  and  the  anxious  puckers  from  her 
forehead ;  and  she  went  home  quite  happily, 
without  recurring  again  to  the  subject  of  their 


174  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

late  conversation.  But  she  did  not  forget  it, 
and  it  bore  fruit.  Mrs.  Gray  noted,  without 
seeming  to  be  on  the  watch,  the  efforts  which 
Candace  thenceforward  made  to  overcome  her 
shyness.  She  saw  her  force  herself  to  come 
forward,  force  herself  to  smile,  to  speak, 
when  all  the  time  she  was  quaking  inwardly ; 
and  she  felt  that  there  was  real  power  of 
character  required  for  such  an  effort.  Quiet 
Candace  would  always  be ;  modest  and  retir- 
ing it  was  her  nature  to  be  :  but  gradually  she 
learned  not  to  seem  cold  and  stiff ;  and  when 
her  cousin  saw  her,  as  she  sometimes  did,  for- 
getting herself  in  talking  to  some  one,  and 
lighting  up  into  her  easy,  natural,  bright  man- 
ner, she  felt  that  the  rather  hard  lesson  ad- 
ministered that  afternoon  on  the  ocean  drive 
had  not  been  in  vain.  Rome  was  not  built  in 
a  day,  and  ease  of  manner  is  not  acquired  in 
a  moment ;  but  Candace  had  at  last  got  hold 
of  a  right  idea,  and  there  was  hope  that  with 
time  people  less  charitable  even  than  a  perfect 
angels  "  might  pronounce  her  "  agreeable. " 


TWO  PICNICS.  175 


CHAPTER  VII. 

TWO   PICNICS. 

[T  was  while  Candace  was  still  doing 
battle  with  her  shyness,  sometimes 
getting  the  better  of  it  and  then 
again  yielding  and  letting  it  get 
the  better  of  her,  that  Georgie  and  Gertrude 
sent  out  invitations  to  another  luncheon  party 
of  girls.  It  was  the  third  they  had  given 
since  coming  to  Newport.  Mrs.  Gray  cer- 
tainly did  a  great  deal  for  the  pleasure  of 
her  daughters,  although  Berenice  Joy  did 
consider  her  so  "strict." 

Candace  had  her  share  in  this  entertain- 
ment, as  one  of  the  three  young  ladies  of  the 
house.  The  party  was  mainly  composed  of 
the  "  Early  Dippers,"  who  were  not  as  for- 
midable to  her  imagination  as  entire  stran- 
gers would  have  been.     She  and  Georgie  and 


176  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

Gertrude  wore  their  white  woollen  dresses, 
which  were  almost  exactly  alike,  and  "  looked 
like  triplets/'  as  Marian  rather  spitefully  ob- 
served. Marian  herself  was  not  asked  to  the 
party,  and  was  out  of  humor  in  consequence. 
Her  crossness  did  not  extend  to  Candace,  how- 
ever. She  evinced  this  by  coming  in  just  as 
Candace  had  finished  dressing,  with  a  long- 
stemmed  pink  rose  in  her  hand,  which  she 
pinned  on  the  shoulder  of  the  white  gown, 
just  under  Candace's  cheek. 

"  That  looks  sweet,"  remarked  Marian.  "  I 
am  really  quite  pleased  at  your  appearance ; 
you're  every  bit  as  pretty  as  Gertrude,  and 
heaps  better  looking  than  that  old  Georgie, 
who  would  n't  let  me  come  to  her  party.  Now, 
take  my  advice  :  hold  your  head  up,  and  don't 
let  any  of  the  girls  bully  you.  If  Berry  Joy 
tries  it,  sit  down  hard  on  her." 

"I  don't  know  how  to  sit  down  hard," 
laughed  Candace ;  but  she  kissed  Marian  for 
the  sweet  rose,  and  went  downstairs  feeling 
quite  brave.  Marian  watched  her  over  the 
balusters ;  made  a  face  at  Berry  Joy,  who  was 


two  picnics.  177 

just  sailing  into  the  drawing-room;  shook  her 
dimpled  fist  at  Georgie's  back,  visible  through 
the  open  door ;  and  then  went  to  sit  with  her 
mother,  who  also  was  "  not  invited." 

There  is  no  prettier  entertainment  than  a 
lunch-party  of  girls.  The  flowers,  the  con- 
fections, all  the  graceful  little  fripperies  of 
the  feast,  seem  to  suit  with  the  bright  young 
faces,  to  whom  daylight  is  a  becoming  and 
not  a  dangerous  test.  Frederic  had  taken 
great  pains  in  ornamenting  the  table  for  his 
young  ladies.  There  was  a  nosegay  for  each 
guest,  and  no  two  nosegays  were  alike.  One 
was  made  up  of  roses  and  daisies,  another  of 
roses  and  heliotrope,  another  of  roses  and 
violets ;  and  each  was  tied  with  a  satin  ribbon 
of  corresponding  color,  which  had  the  name 
of  the  girl  for  whom  it  was  intended,  and  the 
date,  painted  in  gold  letters  on  the  ends.  In 
-,  the  middle  of  the  table  stood  a  large  square 
pan  of  glass,  in  which  floated  a  mass  of  water- 
lilies,  pink  and  white  ;  and  winding  in  and  out 
among  the  little  dishes  of  crystallized  fruits, 
eclairs,  apricots,  and  hot-house  grapes,  was  a 

12 


178  A  LITTLE    COUNTKY   GIKL. 

continuous  curving  wreath  of  pansies  of  every 
color.  It  appeared  to  lie  directly  on  the 
white  tablecloth ;  but  the  stems  of  the  flowers 
were  really  set  in  shallow  semi-circles  of  tin, 
not  over  half  an  inch  high,  which  were  filled 
with  wet  sand. 

For  the  more  substantial  part  of  the  meal 
appeared  a  succession  of  appetizing  little 
dishes,  hot  and  perfectly  served ;  and  the 
wind-up  of  the  whole  was,  of  course,  unlimited 
ice-cream  and  water-ices,  those  national  deli- 
cacies dear  equally  to  the  heart  of  every 
American  girl  the  country  over,  whether 
she  consumes  her  saucer-fall  in  uppermost 
Maine  or  southernmost  Florida. 

Luncheon  over,  the  party  went  out  to  the 
piazza,  where  coffee  was  served;  and  then 
Berry  Joy  began  to  tell  of  a  picnic  at  South- 
wick's  grove  which  she  had  attended  the  day 
before.  None  of  the  other  girls  had,  as  it 
happened,  been  present ;  so  she  had  the  field 
of  narrative  to  herself. 

"  It  was  perfectly  splendid,"  she  said. 
"  There   were   five   coaches  with  four  ladies 


two  picnics.  179 

and  a  lot  of  men  in  each,  and  ever  so  many 
other  carriages.  We  made  a  sort  of  proces- 
sion down  the  Island.  I  went  in  Lawrence 
Jones's  coach,  with  Sue  Tucker  and  Maude 
and  Mrs.  Freddy.  You  should  have  seen 
the  country  people  rush  out  to  look  at  us 
when  all  the  horns  blew  at  once.  I  tell  you 
it  was  exciting." 

"And  what  did  you  do  after  you  got  to 
the  grove  ?  " 

"  Oh,  we  had  the  most  wonderful  spread 
that  ever  was  seen.  You  know,  everybody 
takes  a  dish  and  a  bottle  of  wine  to  these 
picnics;  and  there  is  always  a  great  compe- 
tition as  to  who  shall  bring  the  best  things. 
I  never  saw  such  a  luncheon  in  my  life ; 
everything  was  perfectly  delicious." 

"But  what  did  you  do?" 

"  Do  ?  Why,  we  did  n't  do  anything  but 
that.  There  was  no  time  for  anything  else. 
It  took  ever  so  long  to  get  lunch  ready. 
Some  of  the  things  had  to  be  cooked  after  we 
got  there,  you  know,  and  the  coffee  and  the 
mayonnaise  made.     The  servants  lit  fires  and 


180  A   LITTLE   COUNTRY   GIRL. 

fussed  about,  and  the  rest  of  us  sat  round  and 
talked  a  little ;  but  I  was  so  ravenous  that  I 
couldn't  think  of  anything  but  lunch,  and 
I  rather  think  the  others  were  in  the  same 
condition.  Then,  as  soon  as  we  had  done,  it 
was  time  to  start  for  home." 

"  What  do  you  think  that  horrid  Mr.  Deane 
said  ? "  she  continued,  after  a  short  pause. 
"  You  know,  he 's  always  trying  to  be 
satirical.  Some  one  was  saying  something 
about  the  grove's  being  such  a  nice  place  for 
picnics,  and  Mr.  Deane  interrupted,  in  that 
disagreeable  dry  way  of  his  which  some  people 
call  funny :  '  Well,  yes,  perhaps  so ;  but  in 
my  opinion  the  proper  place  for  a  picnic  of 
this  kind  is  —  a  gorge  ! ' " 

There  was  a  universal  giggle. 

u  How  did  he  dare  ?  "  observed  Julia 
.  Prime. 

"  Oh,  he  dares  to  say  just  what  he  likes. 
He  does  n't  mind  anybody.  But  I  know 
one  thing,  and  that  is  that  Gorham  Allerton 
didn't  like  it  a  bit.  He  looked  absolutely 
black,  and  I  saw  him  talking  to  Mrs.  Jackson 


TWO    PICNICS.  181 

Tainter  about  it  afterward ;  and  I  '11  wager 
something  handsome  that  old  Deane  will  find 
himself  left  out  of  the  next  picnic.  I  'm  sure, 
if  he  does,  it  will  only  serve  him  right  for 
being  so  rude." 

?  I  don't  believe  he  '11  mind  it  if  he  is  n't 
invited/'  remarked  Gertrude.  "  He  dined 
with  papa  last  night ;  and  I  heard  him  say 
that  it  was  the  dullest  affair  he  ever  was  at 
in  his  life,  and  only  fit  for  the  i  companions 
of  Ulvsses.' " 

"  What  did  he  mean?" 

"I  don't  know.  Something  about  General 
Grant,  I  suppose.  —  Candace,  what  are  you 
laughing  at  ?  " 

"  Oh,  nothing,"  said  Cannie,  composing  her 
face  as  well  as  she  could.  A  little  old  trans- 
lation of  the  Odyssey  had  been  among  the 
books  in  the  North  Tolland  library,  and  she 
was  more  "  up  "  in  the  "  companions  of  Ulys- 
ses "  than  the  rest  of  the  party. 

"  How  different  picnics  now-a-days  are 
from  those  which  we  used  to  have  in  Newport 
when  I  was  a  girl,"  remarked  Mrs.  Gray  from 


182  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

the  drawing-room  window,  where  she  had  been 
standing  unperceived  for  a  moment  or  two. 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Gray,  are  you  there  ?  "  and  the 
girls  hastened  to  the  window.  Some  of  them 
kissed  her  ;  and  all,  except  perhaps  Berry  Joy, 
looked  glad  to  see  her,  for  she  was  a  general 
favorite  with  her  daughters'  friends. 

"  Tell  us  about  the  picnics  you  used  to 
have  when  you  were  young,"  said  Julia 
Prime,  balancing  herself  on  the  window-sill 
and  keeping  fast  hold  of  Mrs.  Gray's  hand. 

"There  is  not  much  to  tell,  Julia.  They 
would  seem  tame  affairs  enough  to  you  mod- 
ern young  people,  I  suppose.  We  had  n't  any 
men  with  us  as  a  general  thing,  except  an 
occasional  brother  or  cousin,  and  we  did  n't 
carry  half  as  much  to  eat  as  seems  to  be  con- 
sidered necessary  now-a-days.  Then  we  did 
all  the  work  ourselves  instead  of  taking  cooks 
and  footmen  to  do  it  for  us;  but  for  all  that, 
we  thought  them  most  delightful.  For  one 
thing,  we  always  went  to  some  really  inter- 
esting place,  such  as  the  Glen,  or  the  Dump- 
ling Rocks,  or  the  Paradise  Valleys." 


two  picnics.  183 

•  Where  are  the  Paradise  Valleys  ? "  in- 
quired Julia. 

"  Oh,  I  know  what  they  are/'  said  Maud 
Hallett.  "  They  are  lovely  places  hidden 
in  behind  Bishop  Berkeley's  Rock.  I  went 
there  once  with  Aunt  Edith.  She  knows  all 
the  nooks  and  corners  of  Newport  better  than 
anybody  else." 

"  Mamma,  you  must  take  us  there  some 
day/'  said  Georgie. 

"  Oh,  do,  and  let  me  go  with  you,"  pleaded 
Maud.  "  I  should  like  so  much  to  see  them 
again." 

"  Won't  you  take  me  too  ? "  said  Belle 
Jeffrys. 

"We  should  all  like  to  go,"  remarked  Julia, 
slyly.  "  Oh,  Mrs.  Gray,  dear,  I  have  such  a 
lovely  idea !  Give  us  a  picnic  yourself,  one 
of  the  nice  old-fashioned  sort  that  you  used 
to  have  when  you  were  young,  in  the  Par- 
adise Valley;  won't  you,  dear  Mrs.  Gray? 
Oh,  do  ! " 

a  You  need  n't  coax  so  hard,  Julia;  I  'm  very 
easy  to  persuade  when  I  like  to  do  a  thing," 


184  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

said  Mrs.  Gray,  with  a  laugh.  "  I  '11  give  you 
a  picnic  with  pleasure ;  only  I  must  make  one 
stipulation,  that  it  shall  be  exclusively  a  girl- 
party.  I  don't  think  the  young  men  of  the 
present  day  would  enjoy  the  kind  of  thing  I 
mean,  or  know  what  to  make  of  it." 

"  Girls  !  "  cried  Julia,  "  just  listen  to  what 
this  dear  angel  says  !  She 's  going  to  take  us 
to  Paradise  Valley,  all  by  ourselves,  with  no 
men  to  bother  and  distract  our  attention.  — 
Men  are  out  of  place  in  Paradise  anyway ; 
just  think  how  Adam  behaved!  (this  in  a 
parenthesis).  — It  is  to  be  a  real  old-fashioned 
u  goloptious  "  picnic.  Now,  who  would  like  to 
go  besides  myself  ?  " 

"  I,  I,  I,"  cried  the  girls,  with  gratifying 
unanimity. 

"  Now,  what  day  shall  it  be?"  continued 
Julia.  "  Let 's  make  Mrs.  Gray  settle  the  time 
at  once,  and  then  she  can't  back  out." 

"  I  don't  want  to  back  out,"  said  Mrs.  Gray. 
"  I  enjoy  the  idea  as  much  as  you  do." 

So,  after  some  comparing  of  engagements, 
the  next  Thursday  was  fixed  upon. 


two  picnics.  185 

"  You  had  better  make  this  the  rendezvous/' 
said  the  giver  of  the  picnic.  "  I  shall  have 
room  for  one  girl  in  my  wagonette  besides  my 
four.  You  must  all  wear  something  stout, 
which  won't  spoil  with  scrambling  over  rocks, 
and  you  need  not  bring  any  luncheon-baskets. 
I  will  see  to  all  that.  This  is  to  be  an  old- 
fashioned  picnic,  you  know,  and  I  shall  pro- 
vide exactly  the  sort  of  things  that  we  used 
to  take 

*  When  I  was  young  and  charming,  many  years  ago.'  " 

"  You  are  just  as  charming  as  you  can  be 
now,"  declared  Belle,  enthusiastically. 

"I  do  hope  there  won't  be  a  fog,"  said 
Julia  Prime,  as  she  walked  up  the  Avenue 
with  the  others. 

"  I  sha'n't  care  if  there  is,"  replied  Berry. 
"I  must  say  it  sounds  to  me  like  a  very 
stupid  plan,  —  no  men,  and  nothing  in  par- 
ticular to  eat.  It's  just  like  Mrs.  Gray.  Her 
ideas  are  so  queer,  as  mamma  says." 

"I  wonder  you  go  if  you  feel  that  way 
about  it,"  retorted  Julia. 


186  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

u  I  dare  say  I  sha'n't.  I  have  a  strong  pre- 
sentiment that  on  that  particular  day  I  shall 
have  a  headache." 

And  Berry  did,  —  a  "  distracting  "  head- 
ache, as  she  wrote  Georgie  over-night.  She 
was  the  only  member  of  the  Early  Dip  Club 
who  missed  the  picnic.  Headaches  are  sad 
but  convenient  things. 

Eleven  o'clock  brought  the  girls  to  the 
Grays'  front  door,  all  ready  for  their  start,  in 
various  village  carts  and  victorias.  There 
was  a  little  re-distribution :  Georgie  and  Ger- 
trude fitted  in  with  some  of  their  cronies, 
and  Mrs.  Gray  took  three  girls  besides  Marian 
and  Candace  in  her  wagonette.  Frederic  and 
the  coachman  stowed  many  small  baskets  and 
a  heap  of  wraps  into  the  different  rumbles  and 
box  seats,  and  they  set  forth  under  the  bluest 
of  blue  skies.  It  was  a  beautiful  day,  just 
warm  enough  and  not  too  warm ;  for  a  fragrant 
wind  was  blowing  softly  in  from  the  sea. 

They  had  passed  the  first  beach,  which  at 
that  hour  was  black  with  bathers  and  by- 
standers, and  had  climbed  the  hill-slope  which 


TWO   PICNICS.  187 

separates  it  from  the  second  beach,  when 
Marian  suddenly  cried,  "  Mamma,  here  we 
are  close  to  Purgatory ;  can't  we  stop  just  a 
minute  and  show  it  to  Candace  ?  " 

Mrs.  Gray  looked  at  her  watch. 

"  Your  minute  will  be  at  least  a  quarter  of 
an  hour,  Marian/'  she  said  ;  "  but  I  think  there 
is  time  enough.  Would  any  of  the  rest  of 
you  like  to  go  ?  " 

Girls  always  "  want  to  go."  There  was  a 
general  disembarkation ;  and  Mrs.  Gray  led 
the  way  through  a  gate  and  across  a  rough 
field  which  stretched  along  the  top  of  a  line 
of  cliffs,  steeper  and  bolder  than  those  on  the 
Newport  Point,  and  cut  here  and  there  into 
sudden  sharp  fissures. 

The  scanty  grass,  yellow  with  August  sun, 
was  broken  everywhere  by  lumps  and  boul- 
ders of  that  odd  conglomerate  which  is  known 
by  the  name  of  u  plum-pudding  stone.' * 
Golden-rod  and  the  early  blue  aster  were  flow- 
ering everywhere.  A  flock  of  sheep  fled  at 
their  approach,  with  a  low  rushing  sound  like 
the  wind  in  boughs. 


188  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

> 

Candace  walked  along  with  the  rest,  in  a 
little  shiver  of  expectancy.  The  name  of 
"Purgatory  "  seemed  to  her  to  suggest  some 
terrible  sort  of  place.  Presently  she  saw  the 
girls  ahead,  as  they  reached  a  particular  point, 
diverge  sharply  to  the  right  with  little  cries 
and  exclamations  ;  and  when  she  advanced, 
she  found  herself  on  the  edge  of  a  chasm 
deeper  and  darker  than  any  of  those  which 
they  had  passed.  It  cut  the  cliff  from  its 
highest  point  to  the  sea-level ;  and  the  wall- 
like sides  receded  toward  their  base,  leaving 
vaulted  hollows  beneath,  into  which  the  eye 
could  not  penetrate.  Only  the  ear  caught 
the  sound  of  thunderous  murmurs  and  strange 
gurgles  and  hisses  of  spray  echoing  from  un- 
seen recesses  far  underground ;  and  it  was 
easy  to  imagine  that  these  sounds  came  from 
some  imprisoned  sea-creature,  hemmed  in  by 
the  tide,  with  no  chance  of  escape,  and  vexing 
the  air  with  its  groans. 

Candace  shrank  away  from  the  brink  with 
a  sensation  of  affright.  "  What  an  awful 
place ! "    she   said,   drawing   a   long   breath. 


Purgatory. 


The  name  of  "  Purgatory  "  seemed  to  her  to  suggest  some  terrible  sort  of 
place.—  Page  188. 


two  picnics.  189 

"  Do  you  suppose  any  one  ever  fell  down 
there?" 

Every  member  of  the  party  had  some  tra- 
dition of  the  sort  to  relate  ;  but  none  of  the 
stories  seemed  to  rest  on  a  very  secure  foun- 
dation. 

"  Anybody  who  did  must  be  killed,  I  should 
think.  I  don't  wonder  they  named  it  Purga- 
tory/' said  Marian. 

There  was  a  fascination  of  horror  about  the 
spot.  The  girls  lingered  and  leaned  over  the 
brink  and  turned  back,  until  Mrs.  Gray  had 
to  call  them  away ;  and  they  were  all  rather 
silent  as  they  walked  across  the  field  to  their 
carriages.  But  the  impression  was  soon  dis- 
pelled ;  for  as  they  drove  down  the  incline 
toward  the  second  beach,  they  came  upon  an 
unexpected  scene  of  brilliant  and  animated  life. 

The  tide  and  the  wind  together  were  bring- 
ing ashore  quantities  of  seaweed  of  the  kind 
used  in  manuring  fields,  and  all  the  farmers 
of  the  neighborhood  had  assembled  to  secure 
this  heaven-planted  harvest.  The  long  curves 
of  yellow  sands  which  stretch  from  the  Pur- 


190  A    LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

gatory  rocks  to  Sacluest  Point  were  alive 
with  people.  Teams  of  mild  mouse-colored 
or  white  oxen  stood  harnessed  to  heavy 
wagons,  ready  to  drag  the  seaweed  home. 
Out  in  the  plunging  surf  men  were  urging 
horses  seaward,  or  swimming  them  toward  the 
shore,  with  long  rake-like  implements  in  their 
wake,  which  gathered  and  bore  along  masses 
of  the  glittering  brown  and  rosy  kelp.  The 
splash  and  foam  of  the  waves,  the  rearing 
horses,  the  cries  of  the  men  and  of  the  sea- 
gulls, who  seemed  to  resent  this  intrusion 
upon  their  haunts,  made  a  vivid  and  fascina- 
ting picture,  wThich  seemed  in  keeping  with 
the  beauty  of  sea  and  sky  and  the  freshness 
of  the  sun-warmed  wind. 

Then,  passing  the  beach,  the  carriages  drove 
along  a  smooth  country  road  for  a  short  dis- 
tance, and  turned  into  a  narrow  lane  running 
up  hill,  which  presently  brought  them  to  a 
small  farm-house  built  on  the  very  edge  of 
a  ravine. 

"  Here  we  take  to  our  feet,"  said  Mrs. 
Gray,  jumping  out  of  the  wagonette. 


TWO    PICNICS.  191 

The  farmer  and  his  wife,  who  seemed  to 
be  old  acquaintances,  came  out  to  speak  to 
her.  The  baskets  were  collected,  and  the 
carriages  sent  back  to  town,  with  orders  to 
return  to  the  same  place  at  six  o'clock. 

"  Oh,  why  six  ?  why  not  stay  and  go  home 
by  moonlight  ?  "  urged  Julia. 

"  My  dear  child,  if  you  were  in  the  habit 
of  reading  either  the  almanac  or  the  heavens, 
you  would  know  that  there  will  be  no  moon 
to-night  till  after  eleven  o'clock,"  said  her 
chaperone.  "These  roads  will  be  as  black 
as  pitch  by  half-past  seven.  Now,  girls,  each 
of  you  take  your  own  shawl  and  one  of 
the  baskets,  and  we  will  descend  into  Para- 
dise. It  sounds  paradoxical,  but  you  shall 
see." 

She  led  the  way  down  a  steep  narrow 
pathway  on  the  hill-side  into  the  valley  below. 
The  path  was  overhung  with  trees.  It  was 
necessary  to  put  the  boughs  aside  here  and 
there ;  brambles  reached  from  the  thicket  to 
catch  at  the  girls'  skirts  as  they  went  by ;  but 
when  they  had  passed  these  trifling  obstacles 


192  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

they  found  themselves  safely  on  the  level 
floor  of  a  little  valley  below. 

Such  a  choice  little  valley !  It  was  en- 
closed between  the  line  of  hill  from  which 
they  had  just  descended  and  another  parallel 
line,  whose  top  was  of  solid  granite  and  whose 
base  was  walled  by  trees.  This  double  bar- 
rier kept  off  all  cold  winds,  and  let  the  sun- 
shine in  from  east  to  west  to  flood  and  foster 
the  valley  growths.  To  the  east  the  eye  saw 
only  the  winding  of  the  leafy  glade  ;  the  west 
stood  open  to  the  sea,  and  gave  a  wide  vista 
of  glittering  ocean  and  yellow  surf-fringed 
beach. 

The  ground  was  carpeted  with  the  softest 
grass.  Thickets  of  wild  roses  showed  here 
and  there  a  late  blossom,  and  other  thickets 
of  alders  glittered  with  coral-red  berries. 
Apple-trees  loaded  with  small  crimson  apples 
made  spots  of  color  on  the  hill-side.  Wild- 
flowers  grew  thickly  in  damp  spots,  and 
mosses  clustered  among  the  stones.  Birds 
chirped  and  flew  from  every  bush  and  tree. 
All  was  shaded  and  peaceful  and  still.     New- 


two  picnics.  193 

i 

port,  with  its  whirl  and  glitter,  seemed  im- 
measurably far  away.  The  Paradise  Valley 
might  to  all  appearance  have  been  hidden  in 
the  heart  of  the  Alleghanies,  instead  of  being 
within  three  miles  of  the  gayest  watering- 
place  in  America ! 

Mrs.  Gray,  with  accustomed  feet,  led  the 
way  straight  across  the  glade  to  where  an 
old  cedar-tree  stood  commanding  the  ocean- 
ward  view,  with  a  square  block  of  stone  at 
its  foot. 

"  This  is  where  we  used  always  to  come," 
she  said,  in  a  dreamy  voice, 

"  What  a  delicious  place  ! "  cried  Julia ;  "  to 
think  that  I  should  have  spent  seven  sum- 
mers in  Newport  and  never  have  seen  it 
before  !  What  shall  we  do  with  the  baskets, 
Mrs.  Gray,  dear?" 

"  Put  them  here  in  the  shade,  and  when 
you  all  feel  hungry  we  will  open  them." 

"  Hungry  !  why,  I  am  as  hungry  as  a  wolf 
at  this  moment.  I  have  a  gift  at  being  rav- 
enous. Girls,  what  do  you  say  ?  Don't  you 
agree  with  me  that  no  time  is  like  the  present 

13 


194  A   LITTLE   COUNTRY   GIRL. 

time  for  lunch  ?  Hold  up  your  hands  if  you 
do." 

«  Very  well/'  said  Mrs.  Gray,  laughing,  as 
every  hand  flew  up.  "  We  will  have  lunch 
at  once,  then ;  but  I  warn  you  that  there  is 
a  good  deal  to  be  done  first.  There,"  point- 
ing to  a  blackened  spot  against  a  rock,  "  is 
where  we  always  boiled  our  kettle.  If  some 
of  you  will  collect  some  dry  sticks,  we  will 
see  if  the  present  generation  is  capable  of 
making  a  fire.  I  meanwhile  will  fetch  the 
water." 

She  took  a  bright  little  copper  kettle  from 
one  of  the  baskets,  and  mounted  the  hill  with 
elastic  footsteps,  calling  out,  as  she  went,  — 

"  Make  haste,  and  be  sure  that  the  sticks 
are  dry." 

"I'm  not  sure  that  I  know  a  dry  stick 
when  I  see  it,"  whispered  Maud  Hallett  to 
Julia ;  but  instinct,  as  often  happens,  took  the 
place  of  experience  on  this  occasion,  and  Mrs. 
Gray  found  quite  a  respectable  pile  of  fuel 
awaiting  her  when  she  came  back  with  her 
kettle  full  of  spring  water. 


TWO   PICNICS.  195 

"  Now  I  will  show  you  how  to  swing  a  pot 
over  the  fire/'  she  said ;  and  in  three  min- 
utes a  rustic  crane  of  boughs  was  construct- 
ed, the  kettle  was  hanging  from  it,  and  the 
wood  piled  artistically  underneath.  A  box  of 
matches  appeared  from  Mrs.  Gray's  pocket, 
which,  as  Marian  said,  was  every  bit  as  good 
as  the  "  Bag  "  of  the  Mother  in  the  "  Swiss 
Family  Robinson,"  and  seemed  to  hold  almost 
as  great  a  variety  of  useful  things.  Presently 
a  gay  little  fire  was  crackling  and  snapping 
against  the  face  of  the  rock,  and  adding  its 
smoke  to  the  blackened  stains  left  by  those 
other  smokes  of  long  ago.  The  girls  stood 
about,  watching  the  blaze  and  listening  for 
the  first  hiss  of  the  kettle  ;  but  Mrs.  Gray  in- 
formed them  that  there  was  still  work  to  be 
done. 

"I  want  some  new  potatoes  to  roast,  for 
one  thing,"  she  said.  "  Maud  and  Georgie, 
you  might  run  up  to  the  farm  and  ask  Mr. 
Bacon  to  send  me  a  few,  say  eighteen  or 
twenty  large  ones,  —  oh,  and  a  couple  of 
dozen  fresh  eggs." 


196  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

While  they  were  absent  on  this  errand, 
the  other  girls,  under  Mrs.  Gray's  direction, 
unpacked  the  baskets  and  arranged  their 
contents  on  the  rock  beneath  the  cedar-tree. 
Mrs.  Gray  had  taken  pains  to  provide,  as 
far  as  was  possible,  the  same  sort  of  food 
which  twenty-odd  years  before  it  had  been 
customary  to  take  to  picnics.  Out  of  one 
basket  came  a  snow-white  table-cloth  and 
napkins ;  out  of  another,  a  chafing-dish,  a  loaf 
of  home-made  brown  bread,  and  a  couple  of 
pats  of  delicious  Darlington  butter.  A  third 
basket  revealed  a  large  loaf  of  "Election 
Cake,"  with  a  thick  sugary  frosting  ;  a  fourth 
was  full  of  crisp  little  jumbles,  made  after  an 
old  family  recipe  and  warranted  to  melt  in 
the  mouth.  There  was  a  pile  of  thin,  beauti- 
fully cut  sandwiches  ;  plenty  of  light-buttered 
rolls ;  and  a  cold  fowl,  ready  carved  iiito  por- 
tions. By  the  time  that  these  provisions 
were  unpacked,  Maud  and  Georgie  were  seen 
descending  the  hill  at  a  rapid  walk,  which, 
at  sight  of  the  festive  preparations  below, 
changed  to  what  Julia  Prime  called  "a  hun- 


TWO   PICNICS.  197 

gry  gallop. "  By  this  time  exercise  and  fresh 
air  had  made  everybody  so  desperately  hun- 
gry that  it  seemed  impossible  to  wait  another 
moment ;  so,  while  Mrs.  Gray  heated  the  cof- 
fee and  dropped  the  large  pink  potatoes  into 
their  bed  of  embers  to  roast,  the  younger  mem- 
bers of  the  party  fell  to  work  on  the  sand- 
wiches, just  to  take  off  the  fine  edge  of  their 
appetites  till  something  better  was  ready. 

When  the  coffee  was  hot,  Mrs.  Gray  seated 
herself  by  the  rock,  lit  the  lamp  under  her 
chafing-dish,  dropped  in  a  bit  of  butter,  sprin- 
kled with  pepper  and  salt,  and  proceeded  to 
"  scramble  "  a  great  dish  of  eggs.  Did  any 
of  you  ever  eat  hot  scrambled  eggs  under  a 
tree  when  you  were  furiously  hungry?  If 
not,  you  can  form  no  idea  of  the  pleasure 
which  the  "  Early  Dippers  "  took  in  theirs. 
Bat  it  was  not  the  eggs  only ;  it  was  every- 
thing :  never  was  a  luncheon  so  delicious,  the 
girls  protested.  New  potatoes  roasted  in  the 
ashes  were  a  feast  for  the  gods;  and  as  for 
the  grandmother's  cake  with  which  the  repast 
wound  up,  it  baffled  analysis  and  description. 


198  A   LITTLE   COUNTRY    GIRL. 

Mrs.  Gray  had  made  this  cake  with  her 
own  hands,  "  in  order  to  carry  out  the  his- 
toric verities,"  as  she  said.  It  used  to  be 
part  of  the  religion  of  New  England,  especially 
of  Connecticut,  she  explained ;  and  she  told 
them  how  once,  when  she  was  a  girl,  making 
a  visit  to  an  old  aunt  in  Wethersfield,  she 
had  sat  up  nearly  all  night  over  a  "  raising  " 
of  Election  cake. 

"But  why  did  you  do  that?"  asked  the 
girls. 

"Well,  you  see,  my  aunt  had  a  sudden 
attack  of  rheumatism  in  her  arm.  She  was 
going  to  have  the  sewing-society  meet  at  her 
house ;  and  such  a  thing  as  a  sewing-society 
without  Election  cake  was  not  to  be  dreamed 
of.  So  I  offered  to  make  it ;  and  I  was  bound 
that  it  should  be  good.  The  peculiarity  of 
this  particular  cake  is  that  it  must  rise  twice 
before  it  is  baked.  You  mix  half  the  butter 
and  sugar,  and  so  on,  with  the  yeast;  and 
when  that  is  light,  you  put  in  the  other  half. 
Now,  my  first  half  refused  to  rise." 

"What  did  you  do?" 


TWO    PICNICS.  199 

"  Oh,  I  sat  beside  it  with  one  of  Scott's 
novels,  and  I  waited.  It  was  rather  poky ; 
for  my  aunt  and  her  servant  had  gone  to  bed, 
and  there  were  queer  creaks  and  noises  now 
and  then,  as  there  always  are  in  old  houses. 
Midnight  struck,  and  one,  and  two,  before  the 
first  bubbles  appeared  on  the  surface  of  the 
cake ;  and  I  had  fallen  asleep  over  my  book 
more  than  once,  before  I  could  be  quite  sure 
that  it  was  safe  to  stir  in  the  remainder  of  the 
spice  and  fruit,  and  go  to  bed.  It  was  just 
four  o'clock  when  I  finally  put  out  my  lamp; 
and  very  sleepy  I  was  next  day,  as  you  may 
imagine :  but  the  cake  turned  out  a  great 
success,  and  I  had  many  compliments  about 
it  from  the  crack  housekeepers  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, when  they  found  that  it  was  of  my 
making." 

"  Was  n't  it  a  dreadful  trouble  to  have  to 
make  cake  and  things  like  that  at  home  ?  " 
asked  Maud  Hallett.  "  I  think  I  would  rather 
have  had  it  not  quite  so  good,  and  got  it  from 
the  confectioner's,  than  to  have  all  that  fuss 
and  bother." 


200  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

"  My  dear,  there  were  no  confectioners  in 
those  days  except  in  two  or  three  of  the  lar- 
gest cities,  and  none  even  then  who  would  be 
thought  worth  speaking  of  in  our  time.  It 
was  a  case  of  home-made  cake  or  none ;  and 
though  it  was  certainly  a  great  deal  of  trouble, 
the  cake  was  better  than  any  confectioner's 
cake  that  I  ever  tasted.  People  took  great 
pride  in  it ;  and  recipes  were  copied  and 
handed  about  and  talked  over  with  an  in- 
terest which  would  be  impossible  now-a-days, 
when  everything  comes  to  hand  ready  made, 
and  you  can  order  a  loaf  of  sponge  cake  by 
postal  card,  and  have  it  appear  in  a  few  hours, 
sent  by  express  from  central  New  York,  as 
some  of  us  have  been  doing  this  summer." 

The  last  crumb  of  the  Grandmother's  loaf 
had  now  disappeared,  and  Mrs.  Gray  proposed 
that  the  girls  should  go  for  a  scramble  on  the 
hills  while  she  repacked  the  baskets.  But 
this  division  of  labor  was  not  permitted.  The 
girls  insisted  that  they  must  be  allowed  to 
stay  and  help,  and  that  the  scramble  would 
be  no  fun  at  all  without  their  matron.     Julia 


TWO   PICNICS.  201 

seized  the  coffee-pot  and  chafing-dish,  and  ran 
up  the  hill  to  rinse  them  at  the  spring;  the 
others  collected  forks  and  plates ;  and,  many 
hands  making  light  work,  in  a  very  short 
while  all  was  in  order,  and  Mrs.  Gray  in 
readiness  to  head  the  walking  party. 

She  guided  them  to  the  top  of  the  granite 
ridge  which  is  visible  from  Newport,  and 
made  them  observe  the  peculiarity  of  the 
rock  lines,  and  the  contrast  between  their 
bareness  and  the  fertility  of  the  little  inter- 
vening glades,  for  which  they  serve  as  a  nat- 
ural conservatory.  Then  they  dipped  down 
into  the  thickets  of  the  farther  side,  finding 
all  manner  of  ferns  and  wild-flowers  and  shy 
growing  things,  and  so  to  the  sandy  flats  above 
the  third  beach,  with  their  outlook  across  the 
river-like  strait  to  Little  Compton  and  up  the 
curving  shore  of  Newport  Island,  set  with  old 
farm-houses  and  solemn  orchards  of  gnarled 
apple-trees.  From  thence  a  short  walk  brought 
them  to  the  end  of  the  ridge  and  to  Bishop 
Berkeley's  seat,  with  its  ponderous  projecting 
roof  of  rocks ;  and  they  all  sat  down  to  rest 


202  A   LITTLE   COUNTRY   GIRL. 

just  where  he  is  said  to  have  sat  with  his  books 
and  pen,  looking  off  toward  far  Bermuda,  and 
dreaming  of  the  "  star  of  empire."  At  that 
time  no  ugly  brick  chimneys  or  artificial 
water-basin  existed  to  mar  the  foreground  ; 
and  nothing  sweeter  or  more  peaceful  could 
be  imagined  than  the  view  from  the  rocky 
shelf,  —  the  breadth  of  ocean  lit  with  clear 
sun,  the  shining  capes  to  right  and  left, 
the  yellow  sand-dunes  and  winding  creek 
bordered  with  brown  grasses  and  patches 
of  mallow  or  green  rushes,  and  over  all  the 
arch  of  blue  summer  sky.  One  or  two  car- 
riages rolled  along  the  distant  road  as  they 
sat  there ;  but  otherwise;  the  stillness  was 
unbroken  save  by  the  twitter  of  birds  in  the 
woods  behind  them,  the  chirp  of  sand-peeps 
or  the  scream  of  gulls  on  the  beach,  and 
the  soft  intermittent  boom  of  the  surf. 

It  had  been  a  perfect  afternoon,  and  a  great 
success,  all  the  picnickers  voted,  as  they 
parted  in  the  dusk  on  the  gravel-walk  in 
front  of  Mrs.  Gray's  door.  Yet,  after  all, 
there  was  much  to  be  said  for  Newport  and 


two  picnics.  203 

civilization,  and  they  were  not  sorry  to  come 
back  to  them.  It  was  all  very  well  to  play 
at  being  old-fashioned  for  a  day ;  but  modern 
times  have  their  distinct  charms  and  conven- 
iences, and  if  the  girls,  on  sober  second- 
thought,  preferred  their  own  share  of  the 
centuries  to  any  other,  no  one  need  count 
them  blameworthy. 


204  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

BRIC-A-BRAC. 

JNE  afternoon  in  August,  Candace 
happened  to  be  alone  in  the  draw- 
ing-room with  Mrs.  Gray  when  Mrs. 
Joy  was  announced. 
"  My  dear/'  began  that  lady,  after  adminis- 
tering the  two  hard,  rapid  little  kisses  which 
were  her  idea  of  a  cordial  greeting,  "  I  've 
come  to  see  if  you  don't  want  to  go  down  to 
the  Point  with  me.  There  's  an  old  woman 
there,  I  hear,  who  has  a  lot  of  wonderful  old 
china  and  some  mahogany  arm-chairs  which 
she  wants  to  sell,  and  I  'm  going  to  look  at 
them.  Do  put  your  things  on,  and  come.  I 
hate  to  drive  alone ;  and  there 's  no  fun  in  this 
sort  of  expedition  unless  there  's  some  one 
along  with  you." 

"  You  are  very  kind,"  said  Mrs.  Gray ;  "  but 
I  have  promised  Mr.  Gray  to  go  with  him  at 


BRIC  A-BRAC.  205 

four  to  call  on  some  friends  who  have  just 
arrived  at  Bateman's,  so  it 's  quite  impossible 
for  me  to  go  with  you.  Who  is  the  old  wo- 
man ?     Do  you  recollect  her  name  ?  " 

"  Oh,  Collishan  or  Collisham,  —  some  name 
like  that.     She  lives  in  Third  Street." 

"  It  must  be  old  Miss  Colishaw.  Are  you 
sure  she  wants  to  sell  her  china  ?  "  asked  Mrs. 
Gray,  who  as  a  child  had  spent  many  sum- 
mers in  Newport  before  it  became  a  fashion- 
able watering-place,  and  knew  the  townspeople 
much  better  than  did  Mrs.  Joy. 

"  I  believe  so ;  why  should  n't  she  ?  She 's 
as  poor  as  a  church  mouse,  they  tell  me ;  and 
what  use  can  such  things  be  to  her  ?  She  would 
rather  have  the  money,  of  course.  You  can't 
go,  then  ?  I  'm  awfully  sorry.  But  you  '11  let 
me  have  one  of  the  girls,  dear,  won't  you  ?  I 
absolutely  can't  do  it  alone." 

"  Georgie  has  gone  to  drive  with  Berry, 
and  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  Gertrude  is  on 
the  sofa  with  a  headache." 

"  Well,  here 's  Miss  Candace ;  she  has  n't  a 
headache,   I'm  sure:  perhaps  she  will   take 


206  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRli. 

pity  on  me.  —  You  '11  come,  won't  you  ?  that 's 
a  dear.  Eun  and  put  on  your  hat.  It's  a 
splendid  afternoon,  and  the  Point 's  a  very 
interesting  place  if  you  happen  to  like  old 
things.  I  don't  care  for  them  myself;  but 
they're  all  the  fashion  now,  you  know,  and 
I  dare  say  you  've  caught  the  fever  with  the 
rest  of  the  folks.  —  She  can  come,  can't  she, 
dear  Mrs.  Gray  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  she  has  any  engagement," 
replied  Mrs.  Gray,  trying  not  to  smile  at  the 
struggle  with  dismay  that  was  going  on  in 
Candace's  countenance ;  "  she  likes  driving, 
and  it  is  a  beautiful  afternoon.  —  You  can  go, 
can't  you,  Cannie  ?  " 

It  was  impossible  on  the  spur  of  the  mo- 
ment to  frame  any  excuse.  Mrs.  Joy's  eyes 
were  full  upon  her ;  Cousin  Kate  gave  no 
help ;  there  seemed  nothing  to  do  but  to  com- 
ply. Candace  murmured  something  about 
u  Certainly,  —  very  kind,  —  very  happy,"  and 
went  away  to  put  on  the  red  hat,  which 
went  very  well  with  the  dress  of  red  and 
white  linen  that  she  happened  to  have  on. 


BRIC-A-BRAC.  207 

It  was  a  new  one,  which  Mrs.  Gray  had  bought 
for  warm  days,  and  which  Elizabeth  had  fit- 
ted and  made.  She  wore  a  red  rose  in  her 
breast,  and  had  a  pair  of  gray  gloves,  and 
she  looked  very  fresh  and  girlish  in  this 
simple  costume ;  but  Mrs.  Joy  did  not  quite 
approve  of  it. 

"  Why  don't  they  fix  the  little  thing  up 
better  ?  "  she  was  thinking  to  herself  as  she 
got  into  the  carriage.  "  It 's  too  bad.  She  'd 
be  quite  nice-looking  if  she  were  a  little  more 
stylish.  A  light  silk,  now,  or  a  surah  in  two 
shades,  like  Berry's  blue,  would  make  quite  a 
different  thing  of  her." 

"  You  've  been  down  on  the  Point  before 
now,  I  suppose,"  she  said  as  they  rolled 
smoothly  along  the  Avenue. 

"  Yes,  once  I  did.  Cousin  Kate  took  me 
with  her  one  day  to  call  on  a  friend  of  hers, 
Miss  Gisborne." 

"  Oh,  yes,  that  queer  old  maid.  I  know 
they  're  very  intimate,  though  I  confess  I 
never  could  see  what  Mrs.  Gray  finds  in  her 
to  like.     She  's  so  eccentric,  and  so  different 


208  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

from  other  people,  and  she  wears  such  ex- 
traordinary clothes. '? 

"  But  she  's  very  nice,  and  she  tells  the 
funniest  stories,  and  her  house  is  ever  so 
pretty,"  said  Candace,  rather  at  a  loss  to 
know  what  she  ought  to  say. 

"  Ah,  indeed,  is  it  ?  Inside,  you  mean.  I 
don't  think  it  amounts  to  much  outside, 
though  people  who  have  a  mania  for  old 
houses  rave  about  it,  I  believe.  I'm  afraid 
I  'm  dreadfully  modern  in  my  tastes.  I  can't, 
for  the  life  of  me,  see  any  beauty  in  ceilings 
so  low  that  you  bump  your  head  against 
them,  and  little  scraps  of  windows  filled  with 
greenish  glass  that  you  can't  see  through, 
and  which  make  you  look  like  a  mouldy 
fright,  if  any  one  looks  through  from  the 
outside." 

"  Miss  Gisborne's  window-panes  are  green," 
admitted  Candace.  "  Some  of  them  are  so 
old  that  they  have  colors  all  over  them  like 
mother-of-pearl,  —  red  and  blue  and  yellow. 
I  liked  to  see  them;  and  she  told  us  that 
last  summer  an  architect  who  was  going  by 


BRIC-A-BRAC.  209 

the  house  stopped  and  looked  at  them  a  long 
time,  and  then  rang  the  bell  and  offered  to 
give  her  new  sashes  with  great  big  panes 
in  them  if  she  would  exchange ;  but  she 
would  n't." 

"  The  more  fool  she !  "  rejoined  Mrs.  Joy, 
frankly.  "  My !  what  a  splendid  big  house 
that  is  going  to  be  !  That 's  the  kind  of  thing 
I  like."  And  she  pointed  to  an  enormous  half- 
finished  structure  of  wood,  painted  pumpkin 
color  and  vermilion,  which  with  'its  size,  its 
cottage-like  details,  and  the  many  high  thin 
chimneys  which  rose  above  its  towering  roofs, 
looked  a  happy  mixture  of  an  asylum,  a  fac- 
tory, and  a  Swiss  chalet. 

"  But  what  a  little  bit  of  ground  there  is 
about  it  for  such  a  big  house  !  "  said  Candace, 
whose  country  eyes  wTere  often  struck  by  the 
disproportion  between  the  Newport  edifices 
and  the  land  on  which  they  stood. 

"  Yes ;  land  is  so  dreadfully  dear  now  that 
people  can't  afford  large  places." 

"I  wonder  why  this  is  called  € Farewell 
Street/"  said  Candace,  looking  at  the  name 

14 


210  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

painted  on  the  corner  of  a  street  into  which 
they  were  turning. 

"  Some  people  say  it 's  because  this  is  the 
street  by  which  funerals  come  away  from 
the  Cemetery,"  replied  Mrs.  Joy.  "  There 's 
the  Reading-room  down  there.  You've  seen 
that,  I  suppose.  Mrs.  Gray  comes  down  to  the 
mothers'  meetings  sometimes,  I  know." 

"  Yes ;  and  she  has  promised  to  take  me 
with   her   some   day,  but   we  have  n't  gone 

yet." 

The  carriage  now  turned  into  a  narrow 
street,  parallel  with  the  Bay,  but  not  in  sight 
of  it ;  and  Mrs.  Joy  indicated  to  her  footman 
a  low  dormer-windowed  house,  shabby  with 
weather-stains  and  lack  of  paint,  whose  only 
ornament  was  a  large  and  resplendent  brass 
knocker  on  its  front  door. 

" That's  the  place,"  she  said.  "Just  look 
at  that  knocker.  I  know  for  a  certainty  that 
lots  of  people  have  offered  to  buy  it,  and  the 
absurd  old  creature  to  whom  it  belongs  won't 
sell.  She  declares  that  it 's  been  there  ever 
since   she   can   remember,  and   that   it  shall 


BKIOA-BRAC.  211 

stay  there  as  long  as  she  stays.  So  ridicu- 
lous, when  things  of  the  kind  bring  such  an 
enormous  price  now,  and  she  really  needs  the 
money  !  " 

The  carriage  now  stopped.  Mrs.  Joy  got  out, 
and  Candace  with  her.  The  footman  seized 
the  shining  knocker,  and  gave  a  loud  rap. 

"  Go  back  to  the  carriage,  Wilkins,"  said 
Mrs.  Joy.  Then  she  added  in  a  low  voice 
to  Candace  :  "  Get  close  to  the  door,  dear. 
These  people  are  so  queer.  I  often  have  to 
push  my  way  in,  but  I  can  always  manage 
them  in  the  end." 

The  door  was  opened  a  very  little  way  by 
a  very  little  girl. 

"  Is  Miss  Collisham  at  home  ?  "  asked  Mrs. 
Joy,  at  the  same  time  inserting  her  foot 
deftly  between  the  door  and  the  door-frame, 
to  insure  that  the  door  should  not  be  closed 
against  her. 

aNo,  'm,"  said  the  child.  "  She  's  gone 
out." 

"  Dear  me,  what  a  shame!  where  is  she  ?" 
demanded  the  visitor,  in  an  aggrieved  tone, 


212  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

as  if  Miss  Colishaw  had  no  right  to  be  out 
when  wanted  by  the  owner  of  such  a  fine 
equipage. 

"  She  's  over  to  old  Miss  Barnes's.  She  's 
sick/'  replied  the  little  girl. 

"  Who 's  sick  ?  —  old  Miss  Barnes  ?  And 
where  does  she  live  ?  " 

"Just  over  there  in  First  Street/'  said  the 
child,  staring  at  Candace,  whose  big  red  hat 
had  caught  her  fancy.  "  'T  ain't  but  a  little 
way/'  she  added. 

"  Ah,  indeed  !  "  said  Mrs.  Joy,  pushing  her 
way  into  the  entry.  "  Well,  then,  you  just 
run  over  to  this  place,  dear,  and  tell  Miss 
Collisham  that  there 's  a  lady  waiting  to  speak 
to  her  on  business.  Be  quick,  that 's  a  good 
little  girl !  This  young  lady  and  I  will  sit 
down  here  and  wait  till  you  come  back." 

The  small  maiden  looked  uncertain  and 
rather  frightened ;  but  Mrs.  Joy  marched 
resolutely  into  the  little  parlor  on  one  side 
of  the  hall,  and  seated  herself;  so,  after  a 
pause  of  hesitation,  the  child  seized  a  sun- 
bonnet  which  lay  on  a  chair,  and  set  off  at  a 


BRIC-A-BRAC.  213 

run  in  the  direction  indicated.     The  moment 
she  was  gone  Mrs.  Joy  jumped  briskly  up. 

"  Such  a  piece  of  good  luck  !  "  she  cried. 
"  One  so  rarely  gets  the  chance  to  examine 
a  place  like  this  without  the  bother  of  a  fam- 
ily standing  by  to  watch  everything  you  do." 
Then,  to  Candace's  horror  and  astonishment, 
she  walked  straight  across  the  room  to  a  cup- 
board which  her  experienced  eye  had  detected 
in  the  side  of  the  chimney,  opened  the  door, 
and  took  a  survey  of  the  contents. 

"  Nothing  there,"  she  remarked,  locking  it 
up,  "  only  medicine  bottles  and  trash.  Let 's 
try  again."  She  opened  a  closet  door,  and 
emitted  a  sigh  of  satisfaction. 

"These  must  be  the  very  plates  I  heard  of," 
she  said.  "  Let  me  see,  — five,  six,  eight,  — 
a  complete  dozen,  I  declare,  and  all  in  good 
order,  —  and  a  platter,  and  two  dishes !  Well, 
this  is  a  find ;  and  such  lovely  china,  too,  — 
I  must  have  it.  Mrs.  Kinglake's,  —  that  she  \s 
so  proud  of — isn't  half  so  handsome;  and  she 
has  only  eight  plates.  Now,  where  are  those 
chairs  that  they  told  me  about,  I  wonder  ?  " 


214  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

Candace  was  sitting  in  one  of  the  very  chairs, 
as  it  proved;  the  other  Mrs.  Joy  presently 
discovered  in  a  little  back-room  which  opened 
from  the  parlor,  and  which  she  lost  no  time  in 
rummaging.  She  had  just  unlocked  another 
closet  door,  and  was  standing  before  it  with  a 
pitcher  in  her  hand,  when  the  mistress  of  the 
house  appeared,  —  a  tall,  thin,  rather  severe- 
looking  woman,  whose  cheeks  still  wore  the 
fresh  color  which  cheeks  retain  till  old  age 
in  the  Narragansett  country. 

Candace,  who  had  remained  in  her  chair 
in  a  state  of  speechless  and  helpless  dismay, 
watching  Mrs.  Joy's  proceedings  through  the 
open  door,  saw  her  coming,  but  had  no  time 
to  warn  Mrs.  Joy. 

"  You  wanted  to  see  me  on  business  ?  "  said 
Miss  Colishaw,  fixing  a  pair  of  wrathful  eyes 
on  Mrs.  Joy,  the  pitcher,  and  the  open  door 
of  the  closet. 

"  Oh,  is  it  Miss  Collisham  ?  "  replied  that 
lady,  neither  noticing  nor  caring  for  the  very 
evident  indignation  of  look  and  tone.  "  Your 
little   girl  was  so   kind    as  to  say   that   she 


BRIC-A-BRAC.  215 

would  go  and  call  you  ;  and  while  we  were 
waiting  we  thought  we  would  look  at  this 
curious  old  —  " 

"  We  !  are  there  more  of  you,  then  ? " 
demanded  Miss  Colishaw,  glaring  into  the 
closet  as#  if  she  expected  to  see  other  auda- 
cious visitors  concealed  in  its  depths.  Find- 
ing none,  she  closed  the  door  and  turned  its 
stout  wooden  button  with  a  good  deal  of 
energy. 

"  If  you  've  any  business  with  me,  ma'am," 
she  said,  "perhaps  you'll  be  so  kind  as  to 
step  into  the  parlor  and  say  what  it  is." 

"  Certainly,"  responded  Mrs.  Joy,  airily. 
"  But  before  we  go  do  tell  me  about  this 
curious  old  jug.  It's  Spode,  is  it  not?  I  'm 
almost  sure  that  it  must  be  Spode,  or  some 
other  of  the  very  old  English  wares.  Do 
you  know  about  it?" 

"  I  know  that  it  was  my  mother's  yeast- 
pitcher,  and  that's  all  that  I  care  to  know," 
replied  Miss  Colishaw,  grimly,  taking  it  out  of 
her  hand.     "  I  use  it  to  keep  corks  in." 

"  Corks  !    How  amusing  !     But  it 's  really 


216  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

a  nice  old  piece,  you  know.  I  'd  like  to  buy 
it  if  you  don't  care  any  more  for  it  than  that. 
You  could  put  your  corks  in  something  else 
just  as  well." 

"  It  ain't  for  sale/'  said  Miss  Colishaw, 
decidedly,  putting  the  pitcher  againMnto  the 
closet,  and  leading  the  way  into  the  parlor. 

Candace,  who  had  heard  all,  and  was  feel- 
ing awkward  and  guilty  to  the  last  degree, 
rose  as  they  entered,  and  courtesied  to  Miss 
Colishaw.  Perhaps  her  face  showed  some- 
thing of  the  shame  and  annoyance  with 
which  her  heart  was  filled ;  for  Miss  Coli- 
shaw's  iron  expression  relaxed  a  little,  and 
the  "  Good-afternoon p  she  vouchsafed  her 
sounded  a  shade  less  implacable. 

"  Oh,  I  forgot! "  said  Mrs.  Joy,  turning  back 
to  the  rear  room.  "  There  's  this  old  chair, 
Miss  Collisham." 

u  Colishaw 's  my  name,"  interposed  her 
hostess. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  I  'm  sure ;  so  it  is,  of 
course.  Well,  as  I  was  saying,  I  noticed  a 
delightful  old  arm-chair  in  this  room,  —  ah, 


BRIC-A-BRAC.  217 

there  it  is  !  It  exactly  matches  some  with- 
out arms  which  I  bought  at  Sypher's.  If 
you  'd  like  to  part  with  this  and  the  other 
in  the  front  room,  Miss  —  Miss  Collishall,  I 
should  be  glad  to  buy  them  ;  and  I  'd  give 
you  a  very  good  price  for  them  because  of 
the  match." 

Miss  Colishaw  made  no  answer. 

"  Then  there 's  some  china  that  I  observed  in 
another  closet,"  went  on  Mrs.  Joy,  returning 
again  to  the  parlor,  and  opening  the  door  of 
the  closet  in  question.  "  This  red  and  blue, 
I  mean.  I  see  you  have  a  good  deal  of  it, 
and  it 's  a  kind  I  particularly  fancy.  It 's  like 
some  which  my  dear  old  grandmother  used 
to  have."  Mrs.  Joy's  tone  became  quite 
sentimental.  "  I  'd  give  almost  anything  for 
it,  for  the  sake  of  old  associations.  I  wish 
you  'd  fix  a  price  on  this,  Miss  Collisham." 

"  Very  well,  then,  I  will,  —  one  million  of 
dollars,"  replied  Miss  Colishaw,  losing  all  com- 
mand over  her  temper.  "  No,  ma'am,  I  'm 
not  joking.  One  million  of  dollars  !  —  not  a 
cent  less ;  and  not  even  that  would  pay  me 


218  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

for  my  mother's  china,  and  the  chair  my 
father  used  to  sit  in  when  he  was  old.  They 
ain't  for  sale ;  and  when  I  Ve  said  that  once, 
I  've  said  it  for  always." 

"But,  my  dear  Miss  Collishall  —  " 

"  I  ain't  your  dear,  and  my  name  ain't 
Collishall.  Colishaw  's  what  I  'm  called  ;  and 
it's  a  good  old  Newport  name,  though  you 
don't  seem  to  be  able  to  remember  it." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Mrs.  Joy,  loftily. 
"  It 's  rather  an  unusual  name,  and  I  never 
happened  to  hear  it  till  to-day.  Then  you 
don't  care  to  sell  any  of  these  old  things?" 

"No,  ma'am,  not  one  thing." 

"  Well,  I  must  say  that  I  consider  you  very 
foolish.  This  sort  of  old  stuff  won't  always 
be  the  fashion ;  and  the  minute  the  fashion 
goes  out,  they  won't  be  worth  anything. 
Nobody  will  want  to  buy  them." 

"They'll  be  worth  just  the  same  to  me 
then  that  they  are  now,"  responded  Miss 
Colishaw,  more  gently.  She  evidently  saw 
the  hopelessness  of  trying  to  impress  her 
point  of  view  on  Mrs.  Joy. 


BKIOA-BRAC.  219 

"  I  dare  say  you  have  an  attic-full  of  de- 
lightful old  spinning-wheels  and  things/'  re- 
marked that  lady,  quick  to  mark  the  change 
of  tone  and  hoping  to  profit  by  it.  She 
glanced  toward  the  stair-foot  as  she  spoke. 
Miss  Colishaw  quickly  stepped  in  front  of 
the  stairs,  and  stood  there  with  the  air  of 
an  ancient  Roman  defending  his  household 
gods. 

"Yes,  ma'am,  I  have  an  attic,"  she  said 
dryly.  "  It 's  a  very  good  attic,  and  it 's 
stuffed  full  of  old  things.  There  's  a  fender 
and  two  pairs  of  fire-dogs  — " 

Mrs.  Joy's  eyes  sparkled.  "  Oh,  do  let  us 
go  up  and  see  it !  "  she  cried. 

"No,  you  don't!  "  said  Miss  Colishaw,  tak- 
ing a  firmer  grasp  of  the  baluster.  "  There  's 
a  wool-wheel,  and  a  flax-wheel,  and  a  winder, 
and  three  warming-pans  —  " 

"  Dear  me  !  What  a  delightful  place ! "  put 
in  Mrs.  Joy. 

"  There  's  lots  and  lots  of  old  truck,"  con- 
tinued the  implacable  Miss  Colishaw.  "  It  all 
belonged  to  my  mother  and  my  grandmother 


220  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

and  her  mother  before  her.  It 's  all  up  there ; 
and  there  it 's  going  to  stay,  if  all  the  rich 
ladies  in  Newport  come  down  to  try  to 
wheedle  me  out  of  it.  Not  a  soul  of  them 
shall  set  foot  in  my  attic." 

"  Well,  I  must  say  that  I  think  you  very 
foolish,"  said  Mrs.  Joy,  settling  the  wrists  of 
her  long  gloves.  "  You  're  very  poor,  and 
these  old  things  are  no  use  to  you  in  the 
way  you  live  ;  and  you'd  far  better  take  the 
money  they  would  bring,  and  make  yourself 
comfortable/ ' 

Miss  Colishaw  was  now  pale  wTith  anger. 

"  And  who  told  you  I  was  poor  ?  "  she  de- 
manded. "Did  I  ever  come  a-begging  to 
you  ?  Did  I  ever  walk  into  your  house  to 
pry  and  rummage,  and  tell  you  that  your 
things  were  no  use  ?  When  I  do  you  '11  have 
a  right  to  come  here  and  behave  as  you  have, 
but  not  a  minute  before.  Use  !  They  are  of 
use.  They  remind  me  of  my  family,  —  of  the 
time  I  was  young,  when  we  all  lived  in  this 
house  together,  before  Newport  grew  to  be  a 
fashionable  boarding-place  and  was  spoiled  for 


BRIC-A-BRAC.  221 

people  of  the  old  sort.  If  that 's  all  the  busi- 
ness you  have  with  me,  madam,  I  think  we 
have  got  through  with  it." 

u  Really,  there  's  no  occasion  for  being  so 
very  rude/'  said  Mrs.  Joy. 

"  Rude ! "  Miss  Colishaw  gave  an  acrid 
laugh.  "  Mine  ain't  fashionable  manners,  I 
know;  but  I  guess  they're  about  as  good." 
She  opened  the  front  door,  and  held  it  sug- 
gestively wide.     Mrs.  Joy  swept  through. 

u  Come,  Miss  Arden,"  she  called  back  over 
her  shoulder. 

Candace  could  do  nothing  but  look  as  apol- 
ogetic as  she  felt.  "I  'm  so  sorry,"  she  mur- 
mured, as  she  passed  Miss  Colishaw. 

"  You  have  n't  done  anything.  It 's  she 
who  ought  to  be  sorry,"  returned  Miss  Coli- 
shaw, and  banged  the  door  behind  her  as  she 
passed  through. 

"  What  a  horrid  old  person!  "  said  Mrs.  Joy, 
who  looked  heated  and  vexed.  "  I  never  met 
any  one  so  impertinent.  And  such  a  fool,  too  ! 
Why,  she  takes  in  sewing,  I  am  told,  or  makes 
cake,  —  some  of  those  things.     She  's  as  poor 


222  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

as  Job's  turkey ;  yet  there  she  sits,  with  those 
valuable  things  absolutely  wasting  in  her  poky 
old  house,  and  refuses  to  sell  them.  I  wish  I 
had  spoken  more  strongly  to  her !  I  declare, 
I  've  a  good  mind  to  go  back  and  do  it  now. 
It  is  such  perfect  folly.  She  really  ought  to 
be  reasoned  out  of  it." 

"  Oh,  I  would  n't,"  urged  Candace,  —  ul 
would  n't  go  back.  She  was  so  angry.  I  don't 
know  what  she  would  say  if  you  did." 

"  My  dear,  I  don't  care  a  red  cent  what  she 
says.  All  the  old  women  on  the  Point  can't 
frighten  me"  declared  Mrs.  Joy.  She  reflected 
a  little ;  then  she  gave  up  her  intention. 

"  After  all,  it  is  n't  worth  the  trouble. 
She  's  just  that  sort  of  obstinate  old  creature 
who  will  never  listen  to  a  word  of  advice.  I 
knew,  the  moment  I  looked  at  her,  that  nothing 
I  could  say  would  do  any  good.  Generally  I 
can  turn  that  kind  of  person  round  my  finger. 
Why,  you  'd  be  surprised  if  I  told  you  of  the 
bargains  I  have  got  out  of  old  garrets  over  on 
Conanicut  and  down  the  Island.  But,  really 
and  truly,  I'm  a  little  tired  of  it;  and  I  never 


BRIC-A-BRAC.  223 

did  care  much  for  such  old  duds,  except 
that  other  people  have  them  and  it  is  the 
thing  to  have  them.  I  'd  rather  go  to  How- 
ard's any  day,  and  get  a  lot  of  nice  French 
china.  Howard  has  such  exquisite  things 
always." 

So  the  carriage  was  ordered  to  Cod  ding- 
ton's  Cove;  and  as  they  rolled  smoothly  past 
the  Maitland  Woods,  neither  Mrs.  Joy  nor 
Candace  guessed  that  at  that  moment  Miss 
Colishaw  was  sitting  in  her  little  back-room, 
with  the  old  yeast-pitcher  in  her  lap,  crying 
as  if  her  heart  would  break. 

"  It 's  bad  enough  to  be  old  and  poor  and 
alone  in  the  world,"  she  sobbed  to  herself, 
iC  without  having  fine  stuck-up  folks  coming 
right  in  to  sauce  you  out  of  your  senses." 
She  wiped  her  eyes,  and  looked  for  a  minute 
at  the  pitcher. 

"  Betsey  Colishaw,  you  're  a  fool !  "  she  re- 
marked aloud.  "  You  might  have  kept  your 
temper.  The  woman  did  n't  hurt  you  any. 
And  there  was  that  young  thing  looking  so 
kind  of  sorry.    You  might  have  said  a  pleasant 


224  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

word  to  her,  anyhow,  even  if  you  were  all  riled 
up  with  the  other." 

On  sped  the  carriage,  the  lovely  Upper  Bay 
always  in  sight,  until  on  the  curve  of  the  long 
Coddington's  Point  it  turned,  and  retraced  its 
course  so  as  to  strike  Washington  Street  at 
the  lower  end.  It  was  a  delicious  afternoon. 
The  tide  was  flowing  freshly  in,  and  the  brisk 
northwest  breeze  which  met  it  sent  little  white- 
caps  dancing  all  over  the  surface.  Crafts  of  all 
kinds  were  traversing  the  harbor :  yachts  and 
cat-boats  were  out  in  numbers ;  schooners  and 
barges  sped  up  the  bay,  their  sails  shining 
against  the  green  Island  shores ;  row-boats 
and  steam-tugs  were  crossing  and  recrossing 
between  the  city  and  the  Fort  and  Torpedo 
Station.  A  sharp  double  whistle  announced 
the  "  Eolus  "  just  started  on  her  up  trip,  with 
a  long  wake  of  creamy  foam  behind  her. 
Fleets  of  white  clouds  were  drifting  across 
the  sky,  which  was  bluer  than  the  sea,  like 
ships  of  heaven,  simulating  and  repeating 
the  movements  of  those  of  earth  below. 
Every  wharf  and  dock  was  full   of  people, 


BRIC-A-BRAC.  225 

fishing,  idling,  or  preparing  to  go  out  in  boats. 
It  was  one  of  the  moments  when  all  mankind 
seems  to  be  a-pleasuring,  and  to  have  laid 
aside  all  memory  of  the  labors  and  the  pains 
of  this  work-a-day  world. 

Mrs.  Joy  probably  felt  that  she  owed  Can- 
dace  some  compensation  for  the  unpleasant 
quarter  of  an  hour  which  she  had  led  her  into 
at  Miss  Colishaw's ;  for  she  did  her  best  to  be 
entertaining,  and  to  tell  everything  that  she 
herself  knew  about  Washington  Street  and  its 
notabilities.  She  pointed  out  the  two  pretty 
old  houses  which  have  been  so  cleverly  mod- 
ernized into  comfort  without  any  sacrifice  of 
their  quaint  exteriors ;  and  the  other  and  still 
finer  one,  once  belonging  to  the  Hunter  family, 
whose  renovations  have  gone  so  far  toward 
spoiling  it. 

"  It  used  to  have  a  nice  old  staircase  with  a 
broad  landing,  and  windows  over  the  water, 
and  beautiful  mahogany  balusters,"  explained 
Mrs.  Joy.  "  But  they  've  spoiled  all  that. 
They  have  painted  over  the  elegant  satinwood 
and  old  cherry  wainscotings,  and  taken  out  the 

15 


226  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIEL. 

secret  staircase ;  and  now  it 's  no  better  than 
any  other  square  house  with  that  kind  of  roof." 

"  Was  there  a  secret  staircase?"  cried  Can- 
dace.  "  Oh,  what  a  pity  they  took  it  out !  I 
always  thought  I  should  like  to  see  one  so 
much." 

"  I  don't  believe  this  would  have  interested 
you  particularly.  It  was  only  a  kind  of  nar- 
row back-stairs,  which  was  not  commonly 
used.  They  do  say,  though,  that  ghosts  used 
to  be  heard  running  up  and  down  it  quite 
often." 

"  Ghosts  !  How  strange  !  What  sort  of 
noise  did  they  make  ?  I  suppose  no  one  ever 
saw  them." 

"  One  lady  did." 

"  Really ! "  Candace's  eyes  were  wide  with 
attention. 

a  Yes.  She  was  a  friend  of  miner  and  she 
used  to  board  in  the  house  before  it  was  al- 
tered. She  heard  the  noises,  which  were  a 
sort  of  scratching  and  rustling,  and  she  re- 
solved to  see  what  the  ghost  was  like ;  so  she 
took  a  candle  and  followed  it  downstairs." 


BRIC-A-BRAC.  227 

"  How  brave  !     And  what  was  it  like  ?  " 

"  It  was  like  —  a  rat !  When  she  caught 
sight  of  it,  it  was  sitting  on  the  edge  of  a  pot 
of  lard.     It  was  picking  its  teeth,  she  said.'' 

"  A  pot  of  lard  !  " 

"  Yes.  The  secret  staircase  led  down  to  a 
sort  of  cellar,  you  see." 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Joy,  how  disappointing !  " 

"  I  'm  afraid  ghost  stories  generally  do  turn 
out  disappointing  in  the  end.  Here  we  are, 
close  to  old  Fort  Greene.  Would  you  like  to 
jump  out,  and  run  down  to  the  water's  edge 
and  see  it?  " 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  I  should  like  it  ever  so 
much." 

It  was  but  a  few  steps  from  the  carriage  to 
the  grassy  top  of  the  old  redoubt ;  but  when 
Cannie  had  picked  her  way  down  the  steep 
incline  toward  the  shore,  she  found  herself 
entirely  out  of  sight  of  the  street  and  the 
houses,  out  of  sight  of  everything  except  the 
lovely  sunlit  Bay  which  stretched  before  her. 
There  was  no  sound  except  the  plash  of  the 
waves,  and  for  a  moment  she  felt  as  much 


228  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

alone  as  if  she  had  been  in  the  depths  of  a 
country  solitude.  Then  another  sound  came 
vaguely  to  her  ear,  —  a  low  murmur  of  conver- 
sation; and  she  became  aware  that  the  Fort 
held  other  visitors  besides  herself.  A  rock  hid 
the  speakers  from  her,  whoever  they  might 
be  ;  the  voices  were  too  indistinct  for  recogni- 
tion, and  it  was  accident  rather  than  intention 
which  led  her  to  diverge  from  the  path,  as  she 
returned  to  the  carriage,  in  a  manner  which 
gave  her  a  view  of  the  party. 

There  were  three  persons,  —  a  man  and  two 
girls.  The  man  was  young  and  good-looking ; 
he  was  also  well  dressed,  but  there  wras  some- 
thing about  him  which,  even  to  Candace's 
inexperience,  suggested  the  idea  that  he  was 
not  quite  a  gentleman.  One  of  the  girls  was 
standing  with  her  back  to  Candace,  talking 
eagerly  in  a  hushed  voice ;  the  other  sat  on 
a  stone  in  an  attitude  of  troubled  dejection. 
Her  face  was  in  shadow ;  but  she  turned  a  lit- 
tle as  Candace  passed,  and  to  her  wondering 
surprise  she  s^w  that  it  was  no  other  than  her 
cousin  Georgie  Gray. 


PERPLEXED.  229 


CHAPTER  IX. 

PERPLEXED. 

j|ANDACE  paused  for  a  second,  sur- 
prised and  hesitating;  then  she 
walked  on  again.  Georgie  had 
not  seemed  to  observe  her.  The 
other  girl  was  doubtless  Berry  Joy,  with  whom 
she  was  less  at  ease  than  with  anybody  else. 
She  felt  not  the  least  desire  to  confront  her, 
and  a  strange  man  to  boot ;  besides,  Mrs. 
Joy  must  not  be  kept  waiting. 

"  That  looks  like  Berry's  village  cart,"  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Joy,  as  they  drove  past  a  side 
street  where  a  little  vehicle  stood  drawn  up 
in  the  shade  under  the  care  of  a  natty  groom. 
"  Was  that  James  and  the  cart,  Wilkins  ?  " 
"  Yes,  ma'am,  I  believe  it  was." 
"  I  wonder  where  the  girls  can  be,'9  con- 
tinued  Mrs.   Joy.     "At  the   Parishes',  most 


230  A   LITTLE   COUNTRY   GIRL. 

likely,  taking  afternoon  tea.  That 's  a  very 
favorite  place  at  sunset  with  all  the  young 
people.  There  is  such  a  wide  piazza,  and  a 
splendid  view."  Having  said  this,  she  dis- 
missed the  subject  from  her  mind. 

They  lingered  so  long  in  Thames  Street, 
over  various  errands,  that  it  was  nearly  dinner- 
time before  Candace  reached  home.  Georgie 
was  there  before  her ;  she  still  had  her  bon- 
net on,  and  was  sitting  on  the  piazza  with 
her  mother  and  Gertrude,  giving  an  account 
of  her  afternoon. 

"  And  then  we  drove  down  to  the  Old 
Point,  and  called  on  the  Parishes/'  she  con- 
cluded ;  "  and,  mamma,  as  we  came  away 
Miss  Gisborne  saw  us  from  her  window,  and 
called  out  that  I  was  to  tell  you  that  Mr.  — 
somebody  —  Card  —  Caird  —  some  English- 
man, at  all  events  —  was  coming  to-morrow, 
and  would  you  please  be  sure  to  lunch  with 
her  on  Wednesday  and  meet  him  ?  " 

"  Caird,  the  artist  ?  yes,  I  know.  Miss 
Gisborne  was  expecting  him." 

Georgie  seemed  to  have  finished  her  nar- 


PERPLEXED.  231 

rative.  She  had  not  said  a  word  about  Fort 
Greene. 

"Now,  Candace,  what  are  your  adven- 
tures?" demanded  Gertrude.  "It  is  quite 
exciting,  after  a  dull  afternoon  on  the  sofa,  to 
have  you  all  come  in  and  tell  me  what  you 
have  been  about.  I  watched  you  drive  away 
with  a  face  like  a  frightened  kitten." 

"  You  would  have  seen  me  looking  a  great 
deal  more  frightened  if  you  had  been  with 
us  at  Miss  Colishaw's,"  said  Candace ;  and  she 
proceeded  to  relate  what  had  happened,  in 
a  quiet,  demure  way  which  was  particularly 
funny,  throwing  in  a  little  unconscious  mim- 
icry which  made  the  scene  real  to  her  audi- 
ence. Miss  Colishaw's  grim  indignation,  Mrs. 
Joy's  cool  audacity,  her  own  compunctious 
helplessness,  —  all  were  indicated  in  turn. 
Before  she  had  done,  they  were  in  fits  of 
indignant  laughter. 

"Well,  really,  I  did  not  think  even  Mrs. 
Joy  could  behave  so  outrageously  as  that/' 
remarked  Gertrude. 

"It  is  really   too   bad,"    said    Mrs.    Gray. 


232  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

"  Miss  Colishaw  is  one  of  the  salt  of  the  earth, 
always  working  herself  to  death  for  anybody 
who  is  sick  or  in  trouble,  or  poorer  than  her- 
self. I  am  afraid  her  feelings  were  really  hurt. 
She  is  sensitive  about  her  poverty,  and  has  a 
great  regard  for  her  old  family  relics.  I  feared 
that  there  might  be  some  mistake  about  her 
wishing  to  sell  her  china  when  Mrs.  Joy  spoke 
about  it;  but  it  is  a  long  time  since  I  saw  the 
old  lady,  and  I  thought  it  possible  that  some- 
thing had  occurred  to  make  her  glad  of  the 
money.     I  am  really  shocked  at  Mrs.  Joy." 

"  If  only  I  could  have  seen  her  at  the  cup- 
board, with  the  yeast-pitcher  in  her  hand,  and 
Miss  Colishaw's  face!"  cried  Gertrude,  with 
another  burst  of  laughter.  "  Well,  after  this 
truly  awful  interview  what  did  you  do  next, 
Candace?" 

"  We  drove  to  Coddington's  Cove,  and  then 
we  came  back  to  Washington  Street,  and  Mrs. 
Joy  told  me  about  the  old  houses ;  and  then 
she  stopped  the  carriage  by  old  Fort  Greene, 
and  I  went  down  to  the  shore  to  look  at  it." 

"  Did  you  ?  "  said  Georgie  with  sudden  in- 


PERPLEXED.  233 

terest ;  "  why  —  why,  Berry  and  I  were  there 
too.     We  ran  down  for  a  moment." 

"  I  thought  I  saw  you/'  said  Candace, 
simply. 

She  was  looking  straight  at  Georgie  as  she 
spoke,  and  was  surprised  to  see  her  flush 
suddenly,  and  then  turn  as  suddenly  pale. 
Her  change  of  color  was  so  marked  that  her 
mother  could  scarcely  have  failed  to  notice 
it,  had  her  attention  not  been  for  the  mo- 
ment occupied  by  Frederic,  who  just  brought 
out  a  note  which  required  an  answer.  Ger- 
trude was  looking  another  way ;  only  Candace 
noticed  Georgie's  unwonted  emotion.  Noth- 
ing more  was  said  about  Fort  Greene  at  the 
time ;  but  a  little  later,  when  she  was  in  her 
room  smoothing  her  hair  for  dinner,  Georgie 
tapped  at  the  door. 

"  Cannie,"  she  said,  "  I  'm  going  to  ask  you 
not  to  say  anything  more  to  anybody  about 
having  seen  Berry  and  me  on  Washington 
Street  to-day." 

"  Certainly,  I  won't,"  replied  Candace, 
making  in  her   surprise    one   of  those  hasty 


234  A   LITTLE   COUNTRY   GIRL. 

promises  which  are  so  often  repented  of  after- 
ward ;  "  but  why  not  ?  " 

"  Oh,  well,  there  are  no  very  important 
reasons;  it's  just  that  I  would  rather  you 
would  n't." 

"  Very  well."  But  Candace  felt  vaguely 
dissatisfied  with  this  explanation,  and  a  little 
curious. 

She  thought  of  this  promise,  and  of  Geor- 
gie's  odd  manner  of  exacting  it  from  her,  as 
she  fell  asleep  that  night,  and  again  the  next 
morning;  but  gradually  it  faded  from  her 
mind,  until,  about  ten  days  later,  something 
occurred  to  revive  the  remembrance.  Mrs. 
Joy  called  to  ask  two  of  the  girls  to  drive 
with  Berry  and  herself  to  see  the  polo  play. 
Gertrude  happened  to  be  out;  so  Candace 
fell  heir  to  her  share  of  the  invitation.  Mrs. 
Gray  was  glad  to  have  her  go.  She  herself 
did  not  often  visit  the  Polo  Ground,  and  she 
thought  Candace  would  enjoy  seeing  a  match, 
and  that  it  would  be  something  pleasant  for 
her  to  remember. 

The  Polo  Ground  is  a  large  enclosure  to  the 


PERPLEXED.  235 

south  of  Spring  Street,  and  well  out  of  the 
town.  It  is  shut  in  by  a  high  paling,  built 
with  the  intention  of  excluding  every  one  who 
does  not  pay  for  the  pleasure  of  witnessing 
the  game.  Nature,  however,  —  that  free- 
handed dame,  —  has  frustrated  this  precau- 
tion by  providing,  close  to  the  paling,  a  little 
rocky  bluff,  or  rise  of  land,  not  owned  by  the 
Polo  Association,  whose  top  commands  a  clear 
view  over  the  fence ;  and  on  polo  days  this 
point  of  vantage  is  usually  well  filled  by 
on-lookers  of  an  impecunious  description. 
There  was  quite  a  little  crowd  on  the  brow  of 
"  Deadhead  Hill,"  as  it  is  called,  when  Mrs. 
Joy's  carriage  turned  in  at  the  gates ;  and  she 
glanced  that  way  and  said,  "It  is  really  too  bad 
about  that  hill !  "  in  a  dissatisfied  tone,  as  if 
the  enjoyment  of  these  non-subscribers  jarred 
in  some  way,  or  interfered  with  the  pleasure 
for  which  she  herself  was  forced  to  pay  a 
round  price. 

Inside  the  gate  appeared  a  large  railed 
enclosure,  with  a  wicket  at  either  end ;  and 
about  this  carriages  full  of  gay  people  were 


236  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

drawn  up  in  rows,  two  or  three  abreast.  The 
ponies  which  were  to  be  used  in  the  game 
were  being  led  up  and  down  on  the  farther 
side  of  the  ground,  where  was  a  range  of  out- 
buildings. Presently  a  bell  rang.  There- was 
a  little  confusion  of  unblanketing  and  mount- 
ing, and  eight  riders  armed  with  long  mallets 
rode  forward.  Four  wore  red  caps,  and  four 
blue ;  and  the  two  colors  ranged  themselves 
opposite  each  other  at  the  wickets.  The 
umpire  tossed  a  little  ball  into  the  middle  of 
the  ground,  and  the  game  began. 

Candace  was  at  first  rather  inclined  to 
laugh  at  the  riders,  who  were  so  much  too 
tall  for  their  little  steeds  that  in  some  cases 
their  legs  seemed  in  danger  of  hitting  the 
ground;  but  before  long  she  had  become  so 
interested  in  the  game  and  the  bold  riding 
that  she  no  longer  felt  inclined  to  laugh. 
The  object  of  each  side  was  to  drive  the  ball 
through  its  own  wicket  \  and  to  effect  this  a 
great  deal  of  both  courage  and  skill  were 
required,  not  only  on  the  part  of  the  horse- 
men, but  of  the  ponies  as  well.     More  than 


PERPLEXED.  237 

once  all  the  eight  seemed  to  be  collected  in  a 
breathless  tangle  about  and  above  the  ball, 
crowding,  pushing,  struggling  for  the  chance 
at  a  stroke  ;  and  in  such  cases  the  ponies 
seemed  to  divide  the  excitement  with  their 
masters,  and  fenced  and  curved  and  described 
indescribably  short  circles,  regardless  of  the 
danger  of  getting  a  hard  rap  from  the  cruel 
mallets  on  their  own  poor  little  hoofs.  Then, 
when  some  lucky  hit  sent  the  ball  spinning 
across  the  ground,  it  was  quite  beautiful  to 
see  the  alacrity  with  which  the  little  crea- 
tures, of  their  own  accord,  as  it  were,  rushed  . 
after  it,  obeying  the  slightest  indication  from 
rein  or  spur,  and  apparently  measuring  the 
distance  and  the  opportunities  as  accurately 
as  their  riders.  The  beat  of  their  small  hoofs 
on  the  smooth  ground  was  so  swift  and  even 
that  it  was  more  like  a  rustle  than  a  rush. 
To  and  fro  flew  the  ball,  now  almost  at  the 
blue  wicket,  then  reached  and  sent  back  in 
the  very  nick  of  time  by  one  of  the  red 
champions.  Candace  was  so  fascinated  that 
she  had  no  eyes  for  any  one  else  till,  turning 


238  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

her  head  by  accident,  her  eye  lighted  upon  a 
face  in  the  crowd  near  the  carriage  ;  and  with 
a  flash  of  recognition  she  knew  that  it  was 
the  stranger  of  whom  she  had  caught  that 
momentary  glimpse  at  Fort  Greene.  Involun- 
tarily she  glanced  at  Berry  Joy  and  Georgie, 
and  perceived  that  the  former  had  seen  the 
man  also  and  was  trying  to  look  as  if  she  had 
not  seen  him,  while  the  latter  was  honestly 
unconscious.  There  was  something  odd  about 
the  man's  manner,  which  kept  Candace's  at- 
tention fixed.  He  seemed  to  be  standing 
carelessly  among  other  spectators  watching 
the  game,  and  yet  by  a  series  of  dexterous 
movements  and  small  shiftings  of  position 
he  was  gradually  edging  toward  the  carriage. 
Presently  a  forward  step  more  decided  than 
the  rest  brought  him  close  to  it.  Georgie 
saw  him  now.  A  deep  color  flushed  her  face ; 
she  lowered  her  parasol  as  if  to  hide  it. 

"  I  believe  you  dropped  this,  madam,"  said 
the  man,  stooping  suddenly  as  if  to  pick 
something  up  from  the  ground,  and  handing 
to  Berry  what  seemed  to  be  a  note. 


PERPLEXED.  239 

"  Oh,  thanks ! "  said  Berry,  in  a  confused 
voice,  quite  different  from  her  ordinary  voice. 

The  stranger  raised  his  hat  formally,  and 
moved  aside. 

"What  was  that?"  asked  Mrs.  Joy,  who 
had  been  watching  the  game  and  had  seen 
nothing  of  this  by-play.  "  Did  you  drop 
something,  Berry  ?  " 

"  Only  a  note  from  Julia  Prime,"  answered 
Berry,  slipping  the  paper  in  her  pocket. 

"  It  was  very  civil  of  that  person,  whoever 
he  was,"  said  Mrs.  Joy,  unsuspiciously. 

Berry  and  Georgie  exchanged  looks.  Can- 
dace  was  at  a  loss  what  to  think. 

There  are  few  better  keepers  of  secrets 
than  shy  people.  They  do  not  let  things 
out  by  accident,  as  talkative  persons  do  ;  it  is 
easier  for  them  to  be  silent  than  to  talk,  to 
keep  counsel  than  to  betray  it.  But  apart 
from  being  shy,  Candace's  instincts  were 
honorable.  She  had  a  lady-like  distaste  of 
interfering  with  other  people's  affairs  or  seem- 
ing to  pry  into  them.  She  said  not  a  word 
to  any   one   about   this  matter  of   the  Polo 


240  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

Ground,  and  she  tried  not  to  think  about  it ; 
although  it  was  not  in  human  nature  not  to 
feel  a  little  curiosity,  and  she  caught  herself 
observing  Georgie  rather  more  than  usual, 
though  without  intending  it. 

This  quickened  observation  showed  her 
two  things  :  first,  that  Georgie  had  something 
on  her  mind;  and  secondly,  that  she  was  de- 
termined not  to  show  it.  She  laughed  and 
talked  rather  more  than  was  her  custom ;  and 
if  the  laughter  was  a  little  forced,  no  one  else 
seemed  to  find  it  out.  There  were  times 
when  Candace  almost  persuaded  herself  that 
the  whole  thing  was  the  effect  of  her  own  im- 
agination, which  had  exaggerated  something 
that  was  perfectly  commonplace  into  impor- 
tance simply  because  she  did  not  understand 
it ;  and  then  again  she  doubted,  and  was  sure 
that  Georgie  was  not  like  her  usual  self. 

So  another  week  went  by,  and  brought 
them  to  September.  There  was  no  sign  of 
autumn  as  yet.  Every  leaf  was  as  green  and 
fresh  on  its  bough,  every  geranium  as  bright 
on  its  stalk,  as  if  summer  were  just  beginning 


PERPLEXED.  241 

instead  of  just  ended.  But  with  the  pre- 
sage which  sends  the  bird  southward  long 
before  the  cold  is  felt,  and  teaches  the  cater- 
pillar to  roll  its  cocoon  and  the  squirrel  to 
make  ready  its  winter's  nest  and  store  of  nuts, 
the  gay  summer  crowd  began  to  melt  away. 
Every  day  brought  a  lessened  list  of  arrivals 
at  the  hotels ;  and  already  there  was  that 
sense  of  a  season  over  and  done  with  and 
about  to  be  laid  up  and  shelved  for  the  win- 
ter, which  all  wratering-places  know  so  well, 
and  which  is  as  a  nipping  frost  to  the  hopes 
of  landlords  and  letters  of  lodgings.  Just 
why  "  Finis  "  should  be  written  so  early 
on  the  fair  page  of  the  Newport  season,  it 
is  hard  to  explain ;  for,  charming  as  is  the 
summer,  September  and  October  are  more 
charming  still,  and  nowhere  does  the  later 
autumn  exhibit  a  more  indulgent  mood,  hold- 
ing back  the  winter  till  the  last  possible  mo- 
ment, and  sometimes  coaxing  summer  to  aid 
and  abet  with  supplies  of  greenery  and  flow- 
ers, till  the  New  Year  comes  to  put  an  end  to 
the  merry  game. 

16 


242  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

Mr.  Gray  began  to  go  to  town  in  the 
Sunday-night  boat  for  two  or  three  days  of 
business,  though  he  still  spent  the  larger 
half  of  the  week  in  Newport.  Marian  was 
sent  to  Lenox  for  a  week's  visit  to  an  aunt. 
The  family  seemed  very  small  now ;  and  when 
Mrs.  Gray  one  Monday  morning  announced 
her  intention  of  running  up  to  Boston  next 
day  for  the  night  and  taking  Gertrude  with 
her,  Georgie  loudly  protested. 

"  It  is  really  cruel  of  you,  mamma.  Can- 
nie  and  I  will  feel  like  two  deserted  little 
scraps,  all  alone  in  this  big  house.  I  do  think 
you  might  wait  till  papa  is  at  home.  And 
there  's  Marian  coming  back  to-morrow  night. 
What  on  earth  shall  we  do  with  her  all 
day  ?  She  will  feel  dreadfully  to  find  you 
gone." 

"  I  am  sorry  about  Marian,"  confessed  Mrs. 
Gray ;  "  but  Tuesday  happens  to  be  the  best 
day  for  us  on  several  accounts.  You  and 
Candace  must  be  particularly  good  to  her, 
and  not  let  her  feel  aggrieved  or  forlorn.  I 
have  ordered   the  breakfasts   and    luncheons 


PERPLEXED.  243 

and  dinner  for  to-morrow  and  Wednesday,  so 
you  will  have  no  housekeeping  to  trouble 
you,  and  we  shall  be  back  at  six  o'clock,  you 
know.  Two  days  are  but  a  short  time,  after 
all.  You  might  ask  a  couple  of  girls  to  dine 
with  you  to-morrow,  —  any  one  you  like." 

But  Georgie  seemed  out  of  spirits.  She 
was  dull  and  dreamy,  and  said  she  did  n't  care 
to  invite  anybody, —  she  would  rather  have  a 
nice  lazy  time  by  themselves,  if  Candace  liked 
it  just  as  well.  Candace,  who  had  made  up 
her  mind  to  the  inevitable  Berry  Joy,  was 
glad  to  be  let  off;  so  she  spent  a  very  quiet 
day,  for  Georgie  went  to  her  room  as  soon  as 
lunch  was  over,  to  lie  down,  as  she  said,  and 
sleep  off  a  little  headache,  and  Candace  was 
left  alone  till  nearly  dinner-time. 

Marian's  arrival  from  the  train  brought  a 
little  stir  and  variety  ;  but  it  was  not  of  the 
most  pleasurable  kind,  for  she  was  so  dis- 
appointed and  indignant  at  finding  her 
mother  absent,  that  till  the  first  sharp  sting 
of  vexation  had  abated,  nothing  could  be  got 
out  of  her  but  sobs  and  broken  words  of  com- 


244  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

plaint.  Even  when  she  grew  calmer,  things 
were  still  rather  melancholy  ;  for  she  was  too 
tired  and  depressed  for  speech,  and  just  sat  in 
silence,  leaning  her  head  against  Candace's 
shoulder  until  bedtime.  Nor  did  Georgie 
and  Candace  find  much  to  say  to  each  other 
after  she  had  departed.  Georgie  remarked, 
rather  peevishly,  that  Marian  wras  a  most 
cross,  tiresome  child  sometimes,  and  Candace 
said,  "  Yes,  poor  little  thing  !  but  she  was 
really  very  tired  this  time,  as  well  as  cross  ; " 
then  each  took  a  book  and  read  to  herself  till 
ten  o'clock,  when  they  separated  with  a  brief 
good-night.  It  was  a  great  contrast  to  the 
usual  bright,  cheerful  evenings  of  the  house- 
hold ;  and  Cannie,  as  she  undressed,  was  con- 
scious of  being  low-spirited.  "  Homesick  " 
she  would  have  called  it ;  but  the  phrase  did 
not  justly  express  her  mood,  for  even  on  that 
dull  evening  I  am  very  sure  that  she  did  not 
pine  for  Aunt  Myra,  or  for  the  North  Tolland 
farm-house,  which  was  the  only  place  she  had 
ever  called  by  the  name  of  home. 

The    next    day    opened    more    brightly. 


PERPLEXED.  245 

Marian  was  asked  to  lunch  with  the  Frewens, 
who  were  her  favorite  friends  ;  and  her  ab- 
sence was  something  of  a  relief  to  the  others. 
Georgie  and  Candace  did  their  little  morning 
tasks,  not  forgetting  the  arrangement  of  the 
fresh  flowers,  which  usually  fell  to  Gertrude's 
share ;  then  Georgie  sat  down  to  practise, 
and  Candace  settled  herself  in  a  deep  cush- 
ioned chair  in  the  library  with  Motley's 
"  Dutch  Republic,"  which  she  was  reading  for 
the  first  time.  It  was  the  chapter  on  the  siege 
of  Leyden  ;  and  the  wild,  fantastic  nocturne 
by  Chopin  which  Georgie  was  playing,  seemed 
to  blend  and  mix  itself  with  the  tragic  nar- 
rative. Candace  did  not  know  how  long  the 
reading  and  the  music  had  been  going  on, 
each  complementing  the  other.  She  was  so 
absorbed  in  her  book  as  not  to  heed  the  sound 
of  the  bell  or  Frederic's  noiseless  tread  as  he 
crossed  the  hall  to  answer  it ;  but  she  roused 
from  her  absorption  as  the  nocturne  came 
suddenly  to  an  end  with  a  crash  of  startled 
chords,  and  Georgie's  hands  fell  from  the 
keys,  at  the  sight  of  Berry  Joy,  who  came 


246  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

hurriedly  in  at  the  door.  Candace  in  her 
corner  was  invisible. 

"  Oh,  Georgie,  that  dreadful  creature  is  here 
again/'  she  heard  Berry  say,  while  Georgie 
answrered  with  a  little  despairing  cry,  "  Not 
really !  oh,  Berry,  what  shall  we  do  ?"  Then 
came  a  long  whispered  confabulation;  then 
another  tinkle  at  the  door-bell. 

"  Frederic,  I  am  engaged,"  Georgie  called 
out.  —  "  Come  upstairs,  Berry.  If  we  stay 
here,  some  one  is  certain  to  break  in."  The 
two  rushed  across  the  hall.  Candace  heard 
their  rapid  steps  on  the  stairs ;  then  Georgie's 
door  shut  with  a  bang,  and  all  was  still. 

Her  book  dropped  into  her  lap  unheeded. 
Her  mind  was  full  of  puzzled  amazement. 
Who  was  the  "  dreadful  creature,"  and  what 
did  it  all  mean  ? 

The  silence  in  the  house  was  unbroken 
except  by  the  tick-tick  of  the  tall  clock.  It 
made  her  nervous  at  last,  and  she  went  out 
on  the  lawn  to  get  rid  of  the  sensation.  She 
picked  a  few  flowers,  pulled  the  seed-pods 
from  one  of  the  geraniums  under  her   care, 


PERPLEXED.  247 

and  spent  some  minutes  in  petting  and  fond- 
ling Marian's  pretty  colly,  who  lay  stretched 
out  luxuriously  in  the  full  rays  of  the  mild 
September  sunshine.  Then  she  caught  a 
glimpse  of  Berry's  figure  passing  out  of  the 
gate,  and  went  back  to  the  house.  The  draw-' 
ing-room  was  empty.  Motley  lay  on  the 
floor  where  she  had  dropped  him.  She 
picked  up  the  volume,  and  slowly  mounted 
the  stairs.  As  she  passed  through  the  upper 
entry  she  heard  a  sound  from  the  morning- 
room  ;  was  it  a  sob  ?  Candace  gently  ap- 
proached the  door.  Again  the  sound  came, 
an  unmistakable  sob ;  and  looking  in  she  saw 
Georgie,  lying  on  her  mother's  sofa  with  her 
face  hidden,  sobbing  as  if  her  heart  would 
break,  and  saying  over  and  over  to  herself  in 
a  voice  which  was  like  a  moan,  "  What  shall 
I  do?  oh,  what  shall  I  do  ?  " 


248  A   LITTLE    COUNTEY    GIRL. 


CHAPTER  X. 

A   WORD    FITLY    SPOKEN. 

ILL    Candace's   timidity   fled   at   the 

sight   of  Georgie's  distress.      She 

hurried    across   /the    room,   knelt 

down  by  the  sofa,  and  took  her 

,  cousin's  hand,  which  was  as  cold  as  a  stone, 

between  her  own  warm  ones. 

u  What  is  it,  Georgie  ?  Don't  cry  so, 
Georgie,  dear,  please  don't!  Oh,  what  is 
the  matter?"  she  said,  in  a  voice  so  soft 
and  affectionate  and  pleading,  that  it  made 
its  way  straight  to  poor  miserable  Georgie's 
heart.  She  still  sobbed;  she  still  hid  her 
face  in  the  pillow;  but  she  let  Cannie  hold 
her  hand  and  stroke  and  kiss  it,  and  seemed 
to  find  a  little  soothing  in  the  kind  touch 
and  the  tender  words. 

After  a  while  the  sobs  grew  fainter,  and 
Georgie  lay  half  exhausted,  with   her  eyes 


A   WORD    FITLY    SPOKEN.  249 

shut,  only  now  and  then  giving  Cannie's 
hand  a  squeeze.  Hers  was  one  of  those 
natures  which  cannot  bear  to  suffer  alone. 
Whatever  was  the  matter,  Georgie  instinc- 
tively reached  out  for  sympathy  to  the 
nearest  source  from  which  it  could  be  had. 
Gertrude,  her  natural  confidante,  was  away ; 
and  Candace,  her  sweet  face  full  of  pity  and 
concern,  was  close  at  hand.  Her  touch  felt 
warm  and  comforting ;  her  tender  voice  was 
irresistible  to  Georgie's  desolate  mood.  She 
turned  her  wet  face  with  a  sudden  burst  of 
gratitude  and  trust  toward  the  little  cousin 
whom  she  had  till  now  held  so  cheaply,  and 
who,  at  that  moment,  seemed  the  only  friend 
left  within  reach. 

"  Cannie,"  she  said,  "  I  've  a  great  mind  to 
tell  you  —  "     Then  she  stopped. 

Confidence  is  like  a  timid  bird,  which  hops 
nearer  and  nearer  to  the  hand  that  holds 
out  a  crumb,  but  all  the  while  keeps  its  wings 
half  poised  for  flight,  should  a  gesture  alarm 
it.  Candace  had  the  instinctive  wisdom  of  a 
loving  heart.     She  did  not  interrupt  Georgie 


250  A    LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

with  a  word  ;  only  her  anxious  eyes  asked  the 
questions  which  her  tongue  did  not  utter. 

"  I  am  in  such  trouble,"  said  Georgie,  thaw- 
ing more  and  more  under  the  influence  of 
Cannie's  silence  and  Cannie's  look,  —  "  in  such 
a  dreadful  scrape  !  Oh,  what  will  become  of 
me  ? "  wringing  her  hands.  "  You  are  so 
good,  Cannie, —  so  kind.  Will  you  promise 
not  to  breathe  a  word  to  anybody  if  I  tell 
you  all  about  it  ?" 

"Yes/'  said  Candace,  "I  promise." 
"  I  know  you  can  keep  a  secret/'  continued 
Georgie,  sighing  heavily ;  "  you  never  said  a 
word  about  that  time  at  Fort  Greene,  yet  I 
know  you  must  have  wondered  what  it  all 
meant."  A  little  pause  ;  then  she  went  on  : 
"There  really  wasn't  any  harm  in  it  when 
it  began.  It  was  last  winter.  One  day  Berry 
and  I  had  been  laughing  over  some  of  the 
'  Personals '  in  the  '  Herald,'  and  just  for  fun 
we  wrote  one  ourselves  and  sent  it  to  the 
paper.  It  was  an  advertisement.  We  pre- 
tended it  came  from  a  lady  who  wanted  to 
make  the  acquaintance  of  an  eligible  gentle- 


A   WORD   FITLY    SPOKEN".  251 

man  with  a  view  to  matrimony.  We  made 
it  as  ridiculous  as  we  could,  and  we  signed  it 
i  Laura/  and  said  that  all  the  answers  could 
be  sent  to  the  Station  D  Post-office." 

"  And  did  you  get  any  answers  ?  " 

"  Oh,  quantities !  I  never  imagined  that 
people  could  be  so  foolish.  Why,  there  were 
a  hundred  and  thirty  the  very  first  day,  and 
ever  so  many  afterward.  Some  of  them  were 
sentimental,  and  some  of  them  were  ridicu- 
lous, and  some  were  really  funny.  I  think 
the  funny  ones  came  from  people  who  sus- 
pected that  the  advertisement  was  a  hoax ; 
but  we  got  a  great  deal  of  amusement  out  of 
it,  and  we  never  for  a  moment  dreamed  that 
any  one  would  suspect  who  put  it  in.  Oh, 
how  I  wish  we  never  had ;  for  it  brought  that 
horrible  man  down  upon  us,  and  since  then  we 
have  never  had  any  peace  of  our  lives." 

"What  horrible  man?"  asked  Candace, 
more  and  more   surprised. 

"You  saw  him  at  Fort  Greene.  I  don't 
know  who  he  is  myself,  really.  He  says  his 
name  is  James  Alexander,  but  he  tells  such 


252  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

frightful  lies  that  I  don't  believe  it  is  his  real 
name  at  all.  He  is  a  dreadful  creature,  and 
he  has  treated  us  so  —  "  Georgie  broke  down 
into  another  fit  of  crying. 

u  But  I  don't  understand/'  said  Candace. 
"  How  could  he  treat  you  badly  ?  How  did 
he  come  to  know  you  ?  What  right  had  he 
to  speak  to  you  at  all  ?  " 

u  Oh,  no  right ! "  explained  Georgie,  quiver- 
ing with  sobs.  "It  was  only  that  he  found 
out  about  the  advertisement,  and  then  he 
frightened  us.  He  suspected  something,  and 
hung  about  the  post-office  and  watched,  till 
one  time  when  Berry  and  I  wTent  to  get  the 
6  Laura '  letters.  Then  he  followed  us  home, 
and  found  out  where  we  both  lived,  and  wrote 
to  say  that  he  had  become  possessed  of  our 
secret,  and  that  he  was  a  poor  man  in  need 
of  money,  and  if  we  would  at  once  send  him 
twenty-five  dollars  he  would  keep  silent  about 
it ;  but  if  not,  he  should  feel  bound  to  write 
to  our  friends,  and  let  them  know  what  we 
had  been  doing.  We  were  both  scared  to 
death  at  this  threat,  and  we  made  haste  to 


A   WORD    FITLY    SPOKEN.  253 

send  him  the  money,  hoping  that  he  would 
keep  his  word,  and  that  we  should  never  hear 
of  him  again.  But  we  might  have  known 
better;  for  the  very  next  week  he  wrote  again, 
demanding  fifty.  And  so  it  has  gone  on  ever 
since.  He  never  gives  us  any  peace.  We 
have  to  send  him  all  he  asks  for,  or  else  he 
declares  he  will  call  on  papa,  and  not  only 
tell  him  about  the  advertisement,  but  all 
sorts  of  horrible  things  which  are  not  true 
at  all.  He  won't  believe  that  it  was  only 
to  amuse  ourselves  that  we  sent  the  notice 
to  the  paper,  and  he  hints  the  most  dread- 
ful things,  and  says  papa  and  Mrs.  Joy  will 
be  sure  to  believe  him !  Berry  and  I  have 
grown  so  afraid  that  we  would  give  a  million, 
if  we  had  it,  to  bribe  him  to  go  away  and 
never  let  us  hear  from  him  again.  But  even 
that  would  be  no  use,  for  he  would  come 
back  and  demand  another  million,"  ended 
poor  Georgie. 

"And  he  actually  comes  up  to  Newport, 
and  follows  you  about,  and  makes  you  give 
him  money!"  said  Candace,  horror-stricken 


254  A   LITTLE   COUNTRY    GIRL. 

at  this  glimpse  of  the  hidden  suffering  en- 
dured by  these  two  prosperous,  cared-for 
girls,  who  were  supposed  to  be  without  a 
sorrow  in  the  wrorld. 

"Indeed,  he  does.  He  came  that  time 
when  you  saw  him,  the  middle  of  August; 
and  he  wrote  Berry  a  note  to  say  that  he 
must  speak  to  us,  and  that  if  we  did  n't  meet 
him  somewhere,  he  should  appeal  to  Mrs. 
Joy.  We  had  to  consent,  of  course,  and  we 
gave  him  all  the  money  we  had,  and  we 
thought  he  wras  gone ;  but  just  a  few  days 
after  he  appeared  again  on  the  Polo  Ground, 
and  handed  Berry  a  note,  which  he  pretended 
she  had  dropped  out  of  the  carriage.  But  it 
was  really  from  himself;  and  he  said  that 
he  had  lost  the  money  we  gave  him  on  a  bet 
which  had  turned  out  badly,  and  he  must  have 
a  hundred  dollars  more.  You  can't  think 
how  hard  it  has  been  for  us  to  raise  all  this 
money,  Cannie.  Berry  has  her  own  income, 
but  her  mother  likes  to  know  what  she  does 
with  it;  and  mamma  chooses  my  things  for 
me,  so  I  don't  have  much  of  an  allowance. 


A   WORD   FITLY    SPOKEN".  255 

We  have  been  at  our  wits'  end  sometimes  to 
know  how  to  manage." 

"And  how  did  you?" 

"  Berry  sold  a  diamond  ring  which  she 
doesn't  often  wear,  so  her  mother  has  not 
missed  it,  and  I  put  in  thirty  dollars,  which 
was  all  I  had ;  and  he  went  away,  for  good 
as  we  hoped.  He  promised  solemnly  not  to 
come  to  Newport,  or  ask  us  for  money  again 
this  season  ;  and  we  were  so  relieved.  For  a 
few  days  I  was  almost  happy,"  with  a  miser- 
able little  laugh.  "  But  what  fools  we  were 
to  believe  him !  I  can't  imagine  why  we 
should,  for  he  has  deceived  us  all  through. 
I  don't  think  he  has  spoken  the  truth  once 
from  the  very  beginning.  Berry  came  just 
now  to  tell  me  that  he  is  back  already.  She 
saw  him  herself  this  morning  in  Thames 
Street.  He  didn't  see  her,  for  she  was  in 
the  close  coupe,  and  he  was  looking  in  at  a 
shop  window;  but,  of  course,  he  has  come 
for  money,  and  neither  of  us  has  any  more. 
We  shall  have  to  refuse,  and  he  will  go 
straight  to  papa,  and  then  —  oh,  what  will 


256  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

become  of  me  ? "    She  buried  her  face  again 
in  the  pillows. 

Candace  was  trembling  with  a  mixture  of 
sensations,  —  pity  for  her  cousin,  indignation 
at  this  mean  persecution  of  which  she  was 
the  victim,  and  withal  a  fine  touch  of  scorn 
over  the  weakness  which  was  so  easily  played 
upon.  With  all  her  country  breeding  and 
ignorance  of  the  world  and  its  ways,  there 
was  in  our  little  maiden  a  large  share  of  the 
strong,  self-respecting  pride  of  her  ancestry. 
She  would  never  have  stooped  to  buy  the 
silence  of  a  low  knave  like  this  Alexander; 
and  her  clear  truthfulness  of  soul  indicated 
at  once  the  single,  straight,  unerring  clew 
which  could  lead  out  of  this  labyrinth  of 
difficulties. 

"  Georgie,"  she  said,  after  a  moment's 
thought,  "  there  is  just  one  thing  for  you 
to  do.  You  must  tell  Cousin  Kate  all  about 
this." 

"  Oh,  Candace,  never !  "  screamed  Georgie. 
"  Tell  mamma  !  Have  mamma  know !  I  'd 
rather  die  at  once.     You  have  no  idea  how 


A   WORD    FITLY    SPOKEN.  257 

she  despises  concealments  and  deceits;  and  I 
have  had  to  plot  and  contrive,  almost  to 
tell  lies,  all  through  this  wretched  time.  She 
would  never  get  over  it.  Even  if  she  said  she 
forgave  me,  I  should  always  read  a  sort  of 
contempt  in  her  eyes  whenever  she  looked 
at  me.  Oh,  mamma,  mamma !  And  I  love 
her  so  !     Candace,  I  couldn't." 

"  It  is  the  only  way,"  repeated  Candace, 
firmly. 

"  You  have  promised  not  to  tell ! "  ex- 
claimed her  cousin,  starting  up  from  her 
recumbent  position.  "You  promised  me 
solemnly !  You  '11  not  forget  that,  will  you, 
Cannie  ?     You  '11  not  tell  mother  yourself  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not.  What  use  would  it  be  for 
me  to  tell  her  ?  It  would  be  only  next  best 
to  having  Alexander  do  it.  But  you,  —  you, 
Georgie,  —  that  is  a  different  thing." 

"Even  Gertrude  said  she  couldn't  advise 
me  to  tell  mamma,"  continued  Georgie. 

"  Gertrude !  Does  Gertrude  know  about  it 
then  ?  " 

"Yes;  I  had  to  tell  somebody,  I  was  so 

17 


258  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

miserable.  It  was  only  a  little  while  ago 
that  I  told  her.  I  kept  it  to  myself  for  a 
long  time." 

"  Gertrude  !  "  repeated  Candace,  unable  to 
hide  her  amazement.  "And  what  did  she 
say?" 

"Oh,  she  was  horrified,  of  course.  Any 
one  would  be ;  and  she  threw  a  great  deal  of 
blame  on  Berry.  I  don't  think  she  has  ever 
liked  her  since.  She  always  goes  out  of  the 
room  when  she  comes.  She  wanted  me  to  do 
all  sorts  of  impossible  things,  such  as  going  to 
the  chief  of  police.  But  about  mamma,  she 
felt  just  as  I  did.  You  see  we  both  think 
so  much  of  mamma,  Cannie;  we  care  so 
much  about  having  her  approve  of  us.  You 
haven't  any  mother;  so  perhaps  you  can't 
understand." 

"  No,"  said  Candace,  "I  have  no  mother. 
Perhaps  it  makes  a  difference.  But  there  is 
another  thing  I  can't  understand,  and  that  is 
how  girls  who  have  a  mother  —  such  a  mother 
as  yours,  Georgie — can  be  content  to  keep  her 
love  by  means  of  a  cheat.     If  I  did  have  a 


A   WORD    FITLY    SPOKEN.  259 

mother,  I  should  want  her  to  know  all  about 
me,  and  approve  of  me  honestly,  not  be- 
cause I  was  hiding  things  from  her.  Besides," 
—  there  was  a  little  choke  here,  —  "I  think 
mothers  can  stand  a  good  deal,  and  still 
keep  on  loving  their  children.  I  don't  be- 
lieve Cousin  Kate  would  be  hard  on  you, 
Georgie,  or  despise  you  because  you  have 
been  foolish." 

"  You  don't  half  know  mamma,"  repeated 
Georgie.  "  She  has  such  high  ideas  about 
conduct.  It  would  half  kill  her  to  know 
that  I  had  even  spoken  to  a  man  like  this 
Alexander." 

"  Of  course  she  would  be  sorry,"  persisted 
Candace.  "  Of  course  she  would  rather  that 
you  had  never  got  into  this  scrape.  But  she 
is  so  just  always,  as  well  as  kind.  She  always 
sees  both  sides.  She  will  understand  how  it 
began,  —  that  Berry  over-persuaded  you  —  " 

"  What  makes  you  say  that?"  interrupted 
Georgie.  "  I  never  told  you  that  Berry  over- 
persuaded  me." 

"No;  but  I  knew  it  all  the  same.     It's  a 


260  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

matter  of  course/'  said  Candace,  too  deeply 
in  earnest  to  pick  her  words,  or  realize  what 
a  very  uncomplimentary  thing  she  was  saying, 
"  Berry  Joy  always  makes  you  do  whatever 
she  likes.  Cousin  Kate  will  realize  how  it 
was  in  a  minute." 

u  Well,  never  mind  that.  I  want  to  talk 
about  mamma.  Don't  you  see  that  if  I  did 
tell  her  she  couldn't  do  anything  unless  she 
told  papa  ?  and  that  is  the  very  thing  I  want 
to  prevent.  Oh,  what  was  that?"  as  the 
clock  began  to  strike.  a  Six  !  They  will  be 
here  in  ten  minutes.  Oh,  dear!  how  can  I 
meet  her  ?  My  eyes  are  swelled  out  of  my 
head.  She  will  be  sure  to  notice."  And 
Georgie  hurried  to  the  looking-glass,  and 
began  to  smoothe  the  tangled  fluffs  of  hair 
on  her  forehead. 

Cannie's  heart  was  hot  within  her,  but  she 
wisely  forbore  further  remonstrance.  She 
brought  a  basin  of  water  and  a  sponge,  and 
helped  Georgie  to  bathe  and  cool  her  tear- 
stained  face,  and  to  arrange  her  dishevelled 
locks.     Then  she  kissed  her  softly,  and  moved 


A    WORD    FITLY    SPOKEN.  261 

across  the  room  to  the  window.  Georgie  stole 
after  her,  and  stood  by  h^r  side.  It  was  nearly 
time  for  the  travellers  to  arrive  from  the  train. 
A  cool  sea-wind  was  stirring.  Through  the 
trees  a  red  glow  could  be  seen  in  the  west, 
where  the  sun  was  nearing  the  horizon. 

There  was  a  sound  of  wheels,  and  the 
Frewens'  village-cart  drove  rapidly  in  and 
set  Marian  down  on  the  porch.  As  it  drove 
away,  another  carriage  met  and  passed  it  at 
the  gate.  It  was  the  coupe,  and  Mrs.  Gray 
and  Gertrude  were  inside.  With  a  shriek  of 
joy  Marian  shot  down  the  gravel  walk  to 
meet  them.  John  stopped  his  horses,  Mrs. 
Gray  jumped  out,  and  Marian  sprang  into  her 
arms.  The  lookers-on  at  the, window  above 
could  see  the  whole  pretty  picture,  —  the 
lovely  sunny-faced  mother,  the  glad  child ; 
they  could  hear  Mrs.  Gray's  sweet  laugh  as 
she  bent  over  and  kissed  Marian  again  and 
again. 

"  Oh,  Georgie,  Georgie,"  cried  Candace, 
her  eyes  suddenly  brimming  over  with  tears, 
"  look  at  that,  look  at  them  !    Was  there  ever 


262  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

any  one  so  sweet  and  loving  and  dear  as 
Cousin  Kate  ?  See  how  she  holds  Marian  in 
her  arms,  how  she  kisses  her!  How  can 
you  be  afraid  of  her  ?  How  can  you  doubt 
one  minute  that  she  loves  you  enough  to 
forgive  anything  ?  Oh,  if  I  had  such  a 
mother,  would  I  stay  away  from  her,  and 
cheat  and  conceal,  and  trust  a  girl  like  Berry 
Joy,  and  a  bad  man  like  this  Alexander,  and 
not  trust  her?  —  not  go  to  her  first  of  all  for 
help  and  advice  ?  Think  how  good  and  kind 
she  is,  how  glad  to  help  everybody,  —  poor 
people,  servants;  think  how  lovely  she  has 
been  to  me,  —  and,  of  course,  she  loves  you 
a  hundred  times  more !  How  can  you  hesi- 
tate one  minute?  Oh,  go  straight  to  her, 
dear,  dear  Georgie ;  tell  her  all  about  it, 
your  own  self.  She  will  know  just  what 
to  do.  She  will  make  it  all  right  for  you. 
Think  how  happy  you  will  be  not  to  be 
afraid  of  anything  any  more.  Oh,  Georgie, 
do,  do!" 

"  Why,  Candace,  I  hardly  know  you,"  fal- 
tered Georgie ;  and  she  spoke  truly,  for  Can- 


A   WORD    FITLY    SPOKEN.  263 

dace  in  her  intense  eagerness  seemed  to  grow 
out  of  and  beyond  herself,  and  looked  taller, 
older,  quite  unlike  the  shy  Candace  of  every 
day.  Then  the  passion  of  her  appeal  caught 
hold  of  Georgie's  weakness.  Deep  feeling 
is  contagious,  and  there  are  moments  when 
cowards  become  temporarily  brave.  Can- 
dace's  rush  of  words,  her  mother's  tender 
look  and  attitude  as  she  held  Marian  close 
to  her,  or,  it  may  be,  some  swift  impulse 
from  her  good  angel,  seemed  to  melt  her  out 
of  her  mood  of  resistance.  How  it  happened 
she  could  not  have  told,  she  never  could  tell ; 
but  a  sudden  strength  came  to  her,  and  the 
next  moment  she  was  out  in  the  hall.  Mrs. 
Gray,  slowly  coming  upstairs,  was  clasped  in 
a  wild,  despairing  embrace. 

"  Oh,  mamma !  I  want  you.  Oh,  mamma ! 
I  've  something  to  tell  you,"  cried  Georgie. 
Her  mother,  whose  smile  had  changed  to  a 
look  of  pale  amazement,  could  not  speak. 
She  suffered  herself  to  be  swept  away.  The 
door  of  Georgie's  room  closed  behind  them ; 
and  Gertrude,  who  was  following  close  behind, 


264  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY   GIRL. 

was  left  on  the  landing  to  confront  the  equally 
surprised  Candace. 

"  What  is  it  ?  What  is  Georgie  going  to 
say  to  mamma  ? "  demanded  Gertrude,  in  a 
frightened  whisper. 

"She  is  going  to  tell  her  about  that  horrible 
man  who  has  been  making  her  so  unhappy," 
replied  Candace. 

"  Going  to  tell  mamma  !  oh,  how  did  she 
ever  get  courage  ?  " 

■  •  I  begged  her  —  I  told  her  it  was  the  only 
way." 

"  You  !  why,  Cannie,  how  did  you  dare  ?  " 
cried  Gertrude.  "  I  never  would  have  ven- 
tured to  do  that." 

"So  Georgie  said,"  replied  Candace,  sim- 
ply; "but  I  was  sure  the  thing  to  do  was 
for  her  to  go  straight  to  Cousin  Kate." 


FIVE   AND    ONE   MAKE    SIX.  265 


CHAPTER  XL 

FIVE   AND   ONE    MAKE    SIX. 

LONG  hush  followed  these  few 
words  of  explanation.  Gertrude 
was  too  stunned  to  ask  further 
questions.  Mechanically  she  moved 
toward  her  room,  and  took  off  her  hat  and 
coat;  but  all  the  time  she  was  washing  her 
hands  and  smoothing  her  hair,  her  ears  were 
strained  for  sounds  from  Georgie's  room, 
which  was  next  her  own.  There  was  very 
little  to  be  heard,  —  only  a  low,  continuous 
murmur  of  conversation,  broken  now  and  then 
by  a  louder  word;  but  all  so  subdued  that 
Candace,  sitting  on  the  staircase  seat,  caught 
nothing.  Marian,  rushing  up  after  her  mother, 
had  been  stopped  by  the  explanation  that 
Georgie  was  not  well,  and  wanted  to  be  alone 
with  mamma.     After  a  little  natural  outburst 


266  A    LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

of  impatience,  she  too  seemed  to  catch  the 
vague  sense  of  crisis  that  was  in  the  air. 
and  settled  down  quietly,  with  her  head  on 
Candace's    knee,  to  wait. 

It  was  a  long  waiting.  The  red  sunset  sky 
faded  into  pallor,  and  the  stars  came  out. 
Gertrude,  restless  with  suspense,  joined  the 
other  two.  Both  she  and  Candace  were  too 
nervous  for  ordinary  talk,  and  Marian's  pres- 
ence precluded  any  mention  of  the  subject 
with  which  their  thoughts  were  full ;  so  the 
trio  sat  mostly  in  silence.  Frederic  was  heard 
to  pass  down  the  upper  entry  and  announce 
dinner ;  but  Mrs.  Gray  only  answered  by  the 
word  "  Presently,"  and  did  not  open  the 
door.  The  shadows  grew  darker  as  the  dusk 
deepened,  till  after  a  while  the  gas  in  the 
hall  was  lighted,  when  they  fled  to  the  re- 
moter corners,  and  consoled  themselves  by 
casting  an  added  blackness  wherever  they 
were  permitted  to  fall, —  the  only  consolation 
possible  to  shadows. 

To  the  anxious  watchers  on  the  window- 
bench  the  time  seemed  very  long ;  and  in  fact 


FIVE    AND    ONE    MAKE    SIX.  267 

it  was  nearly  eight  o'clock  before  Georgie's 
door  was  heard  to  open,  and  Mrs.  Gray  to 
pass  across  the  hall  to  her  own  room.  She 
only  stayed  there  a  few  minutes.  The  girls 
sprang  up  to  receive  her  as  she  came  down- 
stairs, and  the  old.er  ones  looked  anxiously 
in  her  face.  She  was  tired  and  paler  than 
usual,  and  her  eyes  showed  that  she  had 
been  crying ;  but  her  smile  was  brave  and 
clear  as  she  put  her  arm  round  Candace,  and 
gave  her  a  long  kiss. 

"  You  must  be  half  starved,  my  dears," 
she  said.  "  Georgie  has  a  bad  headache,  and 
I  have  sent  her  to  bed.  She  won't  come 
down  again  to-night;  we  will  have  dinner 
at  once." 

They  went  to  dinner,  accordingly.  Marian 
held  fast  to  her  mother's  hand ;  but  Mrs. 
Gray  kept  the  other  arm  round  Candace,  and 
there  was  a  warmth  and  tenderness  in  the 
touch  which  thrilled  through  Cannie's  heart. 
She  felt,  without  asking  why,  that  Cousin 
Kate  loved  her  more  than  usual' that  night, 
and  it  made  her  happy. 


268  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

Jane  had  been  deeply  aggrieved  at  the 
long  delay  of  the  dinner ;  but  she  was  a 
woman  of  resources  as  well  as  principle,  and, 
as  a  member  in  good  and  regular  standing 
of  the  Second  Baptist  Church,  knew  that 
forgiveness  of  injuries  was  a  branch  of  Chris- 
tian duty.  She  reminded  herself,  beside,  that 
"  Missis  was  n't  often  that  inconsiderate,  and 
most  probably  there  was  reasons  this  time," 
which  made  it  easier  to  overlook  her  offence. 
So  she  kept  some  things  back,  and  took  some 
things  off,  and  managed  to  send  in  the  food 
in  an  eatable  condition,  instead  of  letting  it 
calcine  into  cinders  as  a  less  conscientious 
and  capable  cook  would  have  done. 

Marian  went  to  bed ;  but  still  Mi  s.  Gray 
said  not  a  word  about  Georgie  and  her  con- 
fession. She  looked  weary  and  preoccupied, 
and  Gertrude  fancied  —  but  perhaps  it  was 
only  fancy  —  that  there  was  a  shade  of  cold- 
ness in  her  mother's  manner  towards  herself. 
They  were  all  glad  when  the  time  came  to 
separate  \  but  before  she  slept  that  night,  Mrs. 
Gray  sex>*  a  telegram  to  her  husband. 


FIVE   AND    ONE    MAKE    SIX.  269 

Mr.  Gray  appeared  next  day  on  the  earliest 
possible  train.  There  was  a  long  consultation 
in  the  library,  in  which  Georgie  took  a  part. 
She  came  out  with  her  eyes  red  with  crying, 
but  somehow  looking  relieved,  too,  and  with 
a  peaceful  look  in  her  face  which  had  been 
absent  from  it  of  late:  Candace,  passing  her 
on  the  stairs,  averted  her  eyes  shyly,  and  was 
altogether  astonished  at  being  caught  in  a 
tight  embrace  and  kissed  several  times. 

"It's  all  right,"  Georgie  whispered.  "Papa 
has  been,  oh,  so  kind !  and  mamma  is  like 
an  angel  to  me.  You  were  just  right ;  and  I 
never  can  thank  you  enough,  you  dear ! " 

"Oh,  how  glad  I  am  !  "  cried  Cannie,  clasp- 
ing her  hands  together  in  sudden  relief. 

Georgie  said  no  more ;  she  gave  Cannie 
another  kiss,  and  hurried  away. 

What  steps  Mr.  Gray  took  to  get  rid  of 
Alexander,  the  girls  never  knew ;  but  what- 
ever they  may  have  been,  they  were  effectual. 
He  disappeared  from  Newport  the  very  next 
day,  and  neither  Berry  Joy  nor  Georgie  ever 
saw  or  heard  of  him   again.     It  is  only  on 


270  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

women  and  girls,  and  men  who  are  as  weak 
and  uninstructed  as  women,  that  rascals  of 
his  low  stamp  venture  to  practise  their  arts. 
The  moment  a  man  of  boldness  and  resource 
appears  on  the  scene,  one  who  knows  the  laws 
and  is  not  afraid  to  invoke  their  protection, 
black-mailers  quail  and  vanish. 

Such  an  affair  cannot,  however,  be  made 
straight  without  a  good  deal  of  suffering  to 
all  concerned.  Georgie  was  forgiven.  She 
was  saved  from  the  consequences  of  her  own 
folly  and  imprudence ;  but  she  could  not  for- 
give herself,  nor  could  she  forget  the  deep 
pain  and  mortification  she  had  given  to  the 
parents  she  loved,  or  ignore  the  fact  that  she 
had  forfeited  something  of  their  good  opinion, 
and  that  it  would  take  her  a  long  time  to 
regain  it.  Gertrude,  too,  had  her  share  to 
endure.  She  had  a  strong  sense  of  honor 
and  a  high  opinion  of  her  own  powers;  yet 
in  this  the  first  real  test  of  her  life,  she  had 
failed  miserably,  and  not  only  given  Georgie 
no  assistance,  but  had  helped  to  confirm  her 
in   her   error.      Berenice    Joy   received     her 


FIVE    AND    ONE    MAKE    SIX.  271 

portion  of  punishment  in  the  shape  of  an 
interview,  which  she  found  most  disagreeable, 
with  Mr.  Gray.  At  her  urgent  entreaty,  he 
gave  up  his  intention  of  telling  the  story  to 
her  mother,  but  she  felt  that  she  was  dis- 
graced in  his  eyes  and  in  those  of  Mrs.  Gray ; 
and  though  she  cried,  and  looked  very  pretty, 
and  was  properly  grateful  and  distressed,  and 
assured  Mr.  Gray  that  she  should  never  forget 
how  good  he  had  been  to  her,  and  that  he 
couldn't  imagine  how  much  she  and  Georgie 
had  suffered  just  for  a  moment  of  thought- 
lessness, she  was  aware  all  the  time  that  her 
tears  and  her  gratitude  made  no  impression, 
and  that  he  did  not  believe  in  her.  She  was 
sure  that  all  intimacy  between  herself  and 
Georgie  would  be  discouraged  thenceforward ; 
and  this  was  a  real  punishment,  for  Berry 
counted  a  good  deal  on  the  Grays,  and  had 
built  some  social  hopes  on  her  position  as  their 
friend.  Her  forebodings  proved  true.  Her 
little  gush  of  thankfulness  and  penitence  did 
•not  touch  Mr.  Gray's  heart  in  the  least.  He 
saw  that  Berry  was  a  dangerous  friend  for 


272  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

his  soft-hearted,  easily  influenced  Georgie,  and 
told  his  wife  that  he  decidedly  objected  to 
the  girls'  having  anything  more  to  do  with 
her.  Mrs.  Gray  agreed  with  him  in  opinion  ; 
and  though  there  was  no  open  rupture 
between  the  families,  Berry  found  herself 
after  that  placed  on  the  footing  of  an  ordi- 
nary acquaintance,  and  was  never  able  to  re- 
gain her  old  position  with  any  of  the  Gray 
family. 

But  before  this  conversation  took  place  it 
was  finally  settled  that  Candace  was  to  stay 
always,  and  be  Cousin  Kate's  fourth  daughter, 
and  a  sister  to  her  three  cousins. 

Parents,  sisters,  home,  —  this  wras  a  rich 
endowment,  indeed,  for  a  lonely,  orphaned 
girl  to  fall  heir  to.  But  Cannie  had  earned 
her  good  fortune,  and  every  member  of  the 
family  had  learned  to  value  and  to  wish  to 
keep  her. 

It  was  Mrs.  Gray  who  broke  the  happy 
news  to  her. 

"  Shall  you  like  it  ?  Will  you  be  content 
to  stay  with  us  always  ?"  she  asked. 


FIVE    AND    ONE   MAKE    SIX.  273 

'*  Why,  Cousin  Kate,  what  a  question  !  How- 
could  I  help  liking  it  ?  I  never  knew  what 
happy  meant,  till  I  came  to  you,"  answered 
Cannie,  flushed  with  emotion  and  pleasure. 
"  It 's  only  that  it  seems  too  good  to  be  true  ! 
Why,  only  yesterday  I  was  counting  the  days 
till  the  fifteenth  of  October ;  because,  you 
know,  you  are  going  back  to  town  then,  and 
I  thought  you  would  send  me  back  to  Aunt 
Myra,  and  I  said,  '  I  shall  only  be  happy  for 
twenty-four  days  more,  perhaps  only  twenty- 
three,' —  for,  you  see,  I  didn't  feel  sure  that 
you  could  keep  me  till  the  very  last  day. 
And  now  there  is  going  to  be  no  end  to  the 
happy  times.  I  can't  see  what  makes  you  so 
good  to  me,  Cousin  Kate." 

"I  think  we  can  understand  that  better 
than  you  can,"  her  cousin  replied.  "  We  need 
you,  Cannie,  as  much  as  you  need  us.  The 
benefit  will  be  mutual." 

"  Need  me  !  when  you  have  Cousin  Court 
and  the  girls?" 

"  Cousin  Court  and  the  girls  need  you 
too.  —  Don't   we,    Georgie  ?      Come    in  and 

18 


274  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

help  me  explain  to  Candace  that  all  of  us 
want  her,  and  all  of  us  are  glad  to  have  her 
stay." 

"Indeed,  we  do.  Cannie,  I  can't  talk  about 
it,  for  it's  like  a  bad  dream  from  which  I 
have  waked  up,  and  I  don't  like  to  recall  it ; 
but  I  never  shall  forget  how  good  you  were 
to  me  that  horrible  day.  It  was  you  who 
persuaded  me  to  go  to  mamma.  I  never 
should  have  gone  if  you  had  n't  somehow 
swept  me  up  and  made  me.  And,  oh,  if  I 
had  n't !  —  How  could  I  be  afraid  of  you,  dear, 
darling  mamma?  —  She  was  just  what  you 
said  she  would  be,  Cannie.  She  knew  just 
what  to  do ;  she  understood  in  a  moment. 
She  was  so  kind  !  I  feel  as  if  Trinity  Church 
had  been  rolled  off  my  mind.  It  was  all  your 
doing,  and  I  never  can  forget  it." 

"  Georgie  is  right,"  said  Mrs.  Gray.  "  Don't 
look  so  bewildered,  dear.  You  did  her  a  real 
service  in  persuading  her  to  be  brave  and 
frank.  I  don't  know  why  it  is  so  hard  for 
children  to  trust  their  parents.  It  is  the 
parents'  fault  somehow,  no  doubt." 


FIVE    AND    ONE    MAKE    SIX.  275 

"  Oh,  mother,  no !  It  was  only  that  I 
dreaded  to  have  you  think  ill  of  me." 

"  Not  quite/'  said  Mrs.  Gray,  shaking  her 
head.  u  I  must  blame  myself  a  little.  I  must 
have  made  some  mistake  with  you  all,  when 
even  Gertrude  could  not  believe  that  I  would 
not  be  harsh  and  unforgiving.  But  we  have 
had  our  lesson,  Georgie,  and  we  will  not  do 
so  badly  again,  especially  as  there  will  be  this 
dear  little  new  sister  of  yours  to  help  us  to 
keep  straight.  We  need  not  talk  any  more 
about  it,  but,  Cannie,  we  all  feel  that  to  have 
you  with  us  will  be  good  for  us  all.  There  is 
nothing  in  the  world  so  rare  and  so  precious 
as  clear  truth,  and  the  courage  to  hold  fast 
by  it;  and  we  have  proved  that  you  possess 
both." 

"  And  don't  you  think  that  it  will  be  good 
for  me  ?  "  said  Cannie,  her  eyes  shining  with 
grateful  tears. 

"  Yes ;  we  can  help  you  too.  It  is  one  of 
the  good  things  in  this  world  that  help  is 
almost  always  on  both  sides.  —  Marian,"  as 
that  small  person  passed  the  dooi,  "what  do 


276  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

you  think  of  having  Cannie  permanently  for 
a  sister  ?  " 

"  Really  !  Will  she  stay  ?  Oh,  how  per- 
fectly —  daisy  !  "  And  Marian  threw  her 
arms  round  Candace's  neck,  and  gave  her  a 
squeeze  which  left  no  doubt  as  to  her  ap- 
proval of  the  plan. 

Only  one  cloud  now  remained  on  Candace's 
horizon  of  happiness.  Mrs.  Gray  had  become 
like  a  very  mother  to  her.  Her  bright,  per- 
petual, all-understanding  tenderness  was  like 
daily  food  to  Candace's  hungering  heart.  Mr. 
Gray  had  taken  her  into  the  highest  favor. 
He  had  always  liked  Cannie  and  been  kind  to 
her,  but  now  he  petted  her  almost  as  much  as 
he  petted  Marian.  He  scarcely  ever  came  back 
from  New  York  without  bringing  her  some 
little  gift,  —  a  book,  a  trinket,  a  box  of  bon- 
bons,—  as  a  proof  that  she  had  been  in  his 
thoughts.  The  latest  and  prettiest  of  these 
was  on  her  finger  now,  —  a  pearl  ring  with 
the  word  "  Truth  "  engraved  inside  its  golden 
circlet.  Georgie  and  Marian  had  welcomed 
her  heartily  ;  but  Gertrude,  —  Gertrude  had 


FIVE    AND    ONE    MAKE    SIX.  277 

said  nothing.  She  was  always  cordial  now, 
and  a  sort  of  added  respect  and  liking  had 
appeared  in  her  manner  since  the  Alexander 
episode ;  but  about  the  new  arrangement 
which  made  Candace  one  of  the  family,  she 
had  not  spoken  a  word.  Till  she  did,  till 
she  was  sure  that  Gertrude  too  was  content 
to  have  her  stay,  Cannie's  happiness  could 
not  be  complete. 

The  fourteenth  of  October  at  length  arrived. 
It  was  the  last  day  of  their  Newport  season, 
but  Candace  no  longer  dreaded  the  break-up. 
It  did  not  mean  separation  and  loneliness  now, 
only  the  change  to  a  new  and  different  scene, 
which  might  be  as  delightful  in  its  way  as 
the  summer  had  been.  Yet  Newport  was 
still  in  full  beauty,  and  it  seemed  a  pity  to 
leave  it.  No  frosts  had  fallen  to  dim  the 
glory  of  the  flowers.  The  honeysuckles  were 
still  starred  with  their  white,  gold-anthered 
blossoms ;  the  geranium  beds  looked  as  gay, 
the  foliage  plants  as  superb  as  ever;  while 
the  green  of  the  grass  was  as  fresh  as  in  July. 
Here  and  there  a  little  drift  of  yellow  leaves 


278  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL, 

lay  under  the  trees,  but  it  was  the  only  sign 
of  autumn.  Georgie  gathered  a  great  basket- 
ful of  nasturtiums,  heliotrope,  and  mignonette 
to  carry  down  to  Miss  Gisborne,  and  Marian 
was  sent  off  in  the  village-cart  with  a  similar 
basketful  for  Mrs.  Frewen.  The  house  was 
all  in  a  confusion  of  packing.  Frederic  was 
wrapping  tissue-paper  round  the  picture- 
frames,  Elizabeth  counting  linen  and  silver, 
the  gardeners  emptying  the  balcony  boxes. 
Mrs.  Gray  proposed  that  Gertrude  and 
Candace  should  go  for  a  last  walk  on  the 
Cliffs,  and  so  be  out  of  the  way  of  these 
discomforts. 

"  There  is  nothing  for  you  to  do/'  she  said. 
"  Only  don't  stay  too  late,  and  come  in  before 
it  grows  dark.  We  are  to  have  a  '  thick 
tea'  at  half-past  six,  in  place  of  a  regular 
dinner.  I  thought  it  would  be  less  trouble 
on  this  busy  day." 

It  was  to  Pulpit  Rock  that  the  two  cousins 
bent  their  way.  The  Cliffs  were  even  lonelier 
now  than  they  had  been  when  Candace  first 
visited  them.     There  were  no  bathers  in  the 


FIVE    AND    ONE    MAKE    SIX.  279 

surf;  no  carriages  were  drawn  up  on  the  higher 
part  of  the  beach,  and  the  road  leading  around 
Easton's  Point  showed  only  a  few  scattered 
figures  and  one  solitary  horseman  on  its  entire 
length.  Here  and  there  along  the  windings 
of  the  Cliff  Walk  a  single  walker  appeared, 
dark  against  the  brightness  of  the  sky,  or 
two  girls  were  seen  pacing  the  smooth  gravel, 
with  fluttering  dresses,  and  hair  blown  by  the 
soft  October  wind.  The  sea  was  as  beautiful 
in  color  as  ever,  but  it  had  changed  with  the 
change  of  the  season.  The  blue  seemed  more 
rarefied,  the  opalescent  tints  more  intense  ; 
deep  purple  reflections  lay  in  the  shadows 
made  by  the  rocky  points,  and  there  was  a 
bright  clearness  of  atmosphere  quite  unlike 
the  dream-like  mistiness  of  the  summer. 

The  cousins  sat  side  by  side  on  the  big 
rock,  just  where  they  had  sat  on  that  June 
day  which  seemed  to  Candace  so  long  ago. 
Gertrude  was  no  longer  critical  or  scornful. 
She  sat  a  little  farther  back  than  Candace, 
and  from  time  to  time  glanced  at  her  side-face 
with  a  sort  of  puzzled   expression.     Cannie, 


280  A   LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

happening  to  turn,  caught  the  look ;  it  embar- 
rassed her  a  little,  and  to  hide  the  embarrass- 
ment she  began  to  talk. 

"  Did  you  know  that  Cousin  Kate  is  going 
to  let  me  live  with  you  always  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Yes  ;  mamma  told  me." 

"  Is  n't  she  good  ?  "  went  on  Candace,  im- 
pulsively. "I  can  hardly  believe  yet  that  it 
is  true.  What  makes  you  all  so  very,  very 
kind  to  me,  I  can't  think." 

"  1  have  n't  been  particularly  kind,"  said 
Gertrude,  suddenly.  "  Candace,  —  T  might 
as  well  say  it  at  once,  for  it's  been  a  good 
deal  on  my  mind  lately,  —  I  wish  you  would 
forget  how  nasty  I  was  when  you  first  came 
to  us." 

"  Were  you  nasty  ?  "  said  Candace,  trying 
to  speak  lightly,  but  with  a  flush  creeping 
into  her  face. 

"  Yes,  I  was ;  very  nasty.  I  did  n't  care  to 
have  you  come,  in  the  first  place;  and  I  thought 
you  seemed  awkward  and  countrified,  and  I 
did  n't  like  your  clothes,  and  I  was  afraid  the 
girls  here  would  laugh  at  you.     It  was  a  mean 


The  Cliffs. 
;  I  shall  always  love  this  rock,"  said  Candace.  —  Page  281. 


FIVE   AND    ONE    MAKE    SIX.  281 

sort  of  feeling,  and  the  worst  thing  is  that  1 
did  n't  see  that  it  was  mean.  I  was  ashamed 
of  you ;  but  now  I  am  ashamed,  dreadfully 
ashamed,  of  myself.  I  felt  so  much  wiser  and 
more  knowing  than  you  then ;  and  yet  when 
Georgie,  my  own  sister,  got  into  this  dread- 
ful trouble  and  came  to  me  for  help,  I  had 
none  to  give  her.  I  was  as  much  a  cow- 
ard as  she  was.  I  gave  her  bad  advice ;  and 
it  was  you,  whom  I  laughed  at  and  was 
unkind  to,  who  saw  what  she  ought  to  do, 
and  was  brave  and  really  helped.  When  I 
think  of  it  all,  I  *eel  as  if  I  could  n't  forgive 
myself." 

"Why,  Gertrude  dear,  don't! "  cried  Cannie; 
for  Gertrude  was  almost  crying.  "  I  don't 
wonder  you  did  n't  care  for  me  at  first.  I 
was  dreadfully  awkward  and  stupid.  And  you 
never  were  nasty  to  me.  Don't  say  such 
things!  But" — with  a  shy  longing  to  re- 
move beyond  question  the  doubt  which  had 
troubled  her — "j^ou  do  like  me  now?  You 
are  not  sorry  that  I  am  to  stay  and  live  w**H 
you  ?  " 


282  A    LITTLE    COUNTRY    GIRL. 

"  Sorry  !  No  ;  I  am  very,  very  glad.  You 
are  the  best  girl  I  know.  It  will  do  me  heaps 
of  good  to  have  you  in  the  house." 

"Oh,  how  delightful!"  cried  Cannie.  "Now 
I  have  n't  a  thing  to  wish  for.  It  is  all  non- 
sense about  my  doing  you  good,  but  I  am  so 
glad  you  want  me  to  stay." 

The  two  girls  nestled  closer  and  kissed  each 
other,  with  a  new  sense  of  friendship  and 
liking.  The  west  wind  blew  past,  making 
little  quick  eddies  on  the  surface  of  the  water. 
The  gulls  flew  lower,  their  white  wings  flash- 
ing close  to  the  flashing  surf ;  sails  far  out  at 
sea  gleamed  golden  in  the  level  rays  of  the 
sunset;  a  yellow  light  enveloped  the  farther 
point. 

"  I  shall  always  love  this  rock,"  said  Candace. 

Gertrude  began  the  downward  climb ;  but 
Candace  paused  a  moment  on  the  summit,  and 
turned  for  a  last  look  at  the  water.  Every 
glittering  foam-cap,  every  glinting  sail, 
seemed  to  her  to  wave  a  signal  of  glad 
sympathy  and  congratulation.  "  Good-by," 
she  softly  whispered.    "  But  I  shall  come  back. 


FIVE    AND    ONE    MAKE    SIX.  283 


You  belong  to  me  now."  She  kissed  her 
hand  to  the  far  blue  horizon;  then  with  a 
smile  on  her  face,  she  turned,  and  followed 
Gertrude  down  the  steep  rock-face,  a  happy 
girl. 


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